Canterbury House Care Home

People were protected from the risk of potential abuse working with staff who knew them well, had appropriate skills and experience and knew how and to who to report any concerns to. People were protected from the risk of infection and the environment was maintained safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. The registered manager had added additional staff following an audit of the care call bell times, during busy periods. The management team used a dependency tool to determine the levels of staffing they needed to meet people’s needs. The dependency tool was reviewed on a regular basis. Accidents and incidents were managed safely to reduce the risk of a re-occurrence. Investigations, outcomes and lessons learnt were implemented to support this. People received their prescribed medicines safely in line with national guidance. Not all risk assessments were detailed enough to inform staff of the action to take to reduce the potential risk of harm. We fed this back to the registered manager at the end of our site visit, and they took action to address this.

People and their loved ones were involved in their initial assessment with the relevant external healthcare professionals to ensure the service could meet the person’s needs. Staff worked alongside external healthcare providers to ensure that people remained as healthy as possible. Staff knew people well and supported them to achieve good outcomes. People’s consent to care was sought by staff, and those who were not able to consent had their rights protected and advocated for by appropriate others.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who respected their privacy and dignity. People’s independence was promoted wherever possible, and their choices and wishes were respected to ensure people had maximum possible control over their care and treatment whilst living at Canterbury House Care Home. Staff responded promptly to people’s needs when required. Staff felt supported and valued by the management team.

People received a personalised service and were at the centre of their care and support. People were provided with consistency and continuity of care by staff they knew and who knew them. People received dignified care at the end of their lives with support from external healthcare professionals. Information was provided to people in a way they could understand. People, relatives and staff had their views listened to and acted on.

There was a positive culture which was shared throughout the staff and management team. The management team were open, honest, positive and supportive. There was a strong vision and set of values which placed people at the centre of their care and support. The staff and management team at Canterbury House Care Home continuously worked to improve the service and people’s experience. Systems were in place to monitor and improve the service. Issues that had been identified during this assessment in relation to some risk assessments, but the registered manager worked quickly to address these issues and drive improvements.