Forster House

This is the first assessment for this service. Whilst staff and leaders understood their individual roles and responsibilities, the governance systems in place were not always effective in identifying health and safety concerns. We saw regular audits were in place. However, audits did not always identify where updates were required, for example, care plans did not have enough detail and were not updated regularly to reflect people’s needs.

People were fully assessed prior to moving into the home. People’s likes, dislikes, wishes and preferences were all taken into consideration through effective care planning guidelines. We observed staff working well together and all staff and management had consistent values and approaches to providing care to people. Consent to provide care was in place. However, DoLS applications were not always completed in a timely manner. This meant people were at risk of living in the home with restrictions applied that were not legally authorised.

The service was caring, and staff provided care in a respectful and dignified way. People were involved in choices. The provider looked after staff welfare and staff were supported to use wellbeing services for advice or support.

Care was delivered in a person-centred approach. The service was not always responsive when involving health professionals as agreed in local authority plans prior to moving into the service. People had outcomes, however, some health outcomes for people were not actively taking place. The service adapted communication and ensured up to date information was provided to people and relatives.

The provider’s governance and quality assurance systems were sufficiently effective to ensure the delivery of good quality care and support. Audits and checks completed enabled the service to identify areas of improvement for the service. However, we found the quality assurance systems did not always identify all areas of improvement.