Pilgrims View

The service was due to close approximately 8 weeks after our site visit. People had planned, with staff and relatives, to move to a new care home which would offer more modern facilities, including ensuite rooms. The provider had continued to invest in the current building. The building and equipment were maintained and met people’s needs. Staff told us faulty equipment had been replaced promptly to support them to provide safe care.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found staff and leaders worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions. They had choice, control and freedom over their lives. Staff supported people to make informed decisions and offered them choices in ways which suited them. For example, staff showed people the meal options before they decided what they wanted to eat.

Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns they had. They were assured the registered manager, and the provider would act on any concerns. The registered manager had worked with the local authority safeguarding team to investigate any concerns and learn lessons.

Staff understood potential risks to people and planned their care with them to keep them safe. For example, staff knew what may cause people to become anxious or upset and how to reassure them. Other risks, such as the risk of falling had been assessed and care had been planned to keep people as safe as possible, such as alert mats to tell staff when people were moving around without support.

Medicines were managed safely. Effective processes were in operation to order, store, administer and dispose of people’s medicines.

People’s needs were assessed with them before they began to use the service. This was so leaders could be assured staff had the skills to meet people’s needs and understood their preferences. Staff used recognised assessment tools to keep people’s needs under review and ensure effective information sharing with health care professionals.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. We observed staff had the skills to provide people’s care, including meeting their dementia needs. Staff explained to us how they distracted people when they were anxious and this helped them remain calm. Staff worked together as a team.

Systems were in operation to learn from accidents and incidents. An analysis was completed to look for patterns and trends and take appropriate action to prevent issues occurring again. Feedback from people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals was requested regularly. The feedback received had been positive.

The registered manager worked with local colleges to offer work placements to social care students, supporting them to get on the job experience to support their learning.

Regular checks were completed on all areas of the service. Action was planned to address any shortfalls found and checked to ensure actions were complete and effective. A continuous improvement plan was in place, and this had led to the development of a new purpose built service.