Galanos House

During this inspection we spoke with people who lived at the service, their relatives, staff, volunteers, the registered manager and sought feedback from other healthcare professionals. We looked at care plans, recruitment files and quality assurance records.

There was a very positive culture within Galanos House which was supported by a robust quality focused governance framework to ensure the service operated within the standards expected by the provider and met regulatory and legislative requirements. There was a strong and consistent management team who were very motivated to improve and develop healthcare provision both inside Galanos House and in the wider community. Managers were proactive in developing professional relationships with others to ensure positive outcomes for people. This included partnerships with people themselves, relatives, external healthcare professionals and community organisations. Learning and innovation were a key contributor to service improvement. Healthcare professionals told us how the culture within the home and excellent communication supported positive working relationships which achieved high standards of care.

Staff received training and support to enable them to meet the responsibilities of their role. They understood their role in keeping people safe, good infection control practices and risk management. People received their medicines from trained, skilled, and competent staff.

People’s needs were assessed face to face and care plans were developed. Care plans were robust, detailed and reflected people’s needs, preferences and personal routines. Managers and staff were fully committed to working collaboratively with other health and social care professionals, so information was effectively shared to ensure positive outcomes for people. Staff encouraged people to be active and motivated them to engage with others to support their physical and emotional health and social wellbeing.

The registered manager was a strong voice for ensuring equity in access for people both inside Galanos House and in the wider community. Staff advocated on behalf of people to ensure they received the outcomes they had expressed as being important to them. People wished to remain at Galanos House at the end of their life and staff were skilled and confident to enable this to happen.