Westdene House

People told us they felt safe at the service. People appeared relaxed and spoke freely with staff and the registered manager. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from the risk of potential abuse and knew how to report concerns internally and to external professional bodies. One staff member told us, "If I saw something, I would tell the manager. If nothing changed, I would contact social care."

People's needs were assessed, and risks associated to people's health were mitigated. Where people had healthcare equipment, such as, catheters in situ, staff followed care plans to ensure they were supported safely and kept well hydrated. Staff received training relevant to their roles and demonstrated knowledge on how they provided safe care to people.

People received their medicines by staff who were trained and assessed as competent to administer them. Medicines were administered safely, staff carried out checks to ensure storage, documentation and administration was completed correctly. Relatives told us they were kept informed of their loved one's changes to health and medicines. One relative said, "Staff keep me informed of any changes in [person's] care or medication, or if they are unwell, communication is good usually by phone."

People were supported by enough staff who knew them well. Staff told us there was enough time to spend with people, our observations confirmed this. A visiting social care professional told us, "The residents tend to be out in the social areas which is a positive. Interactions I've seen are positive, they (staff) have a good rapport with them (people), calling them by their first names. No concerns at all, the home is clean, it's a small home so staff can be very individualised with the care they give."

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were enabled to go out for walks, the local café and seafront. The registered manager had risk assessed trips out to ensure people were safe.

People were empowered to make and maintain relationships with friends and family. This was achieved by visits inside the service or people going out with their loved ones, where needed, people could contact relatives using video technology. People and their relatives told us staff and management listened to them and their opinions mattered. The registered manager held meetings and gathered views from feedback surveys. One person told us, "It's all pretty much nice. I am happy and if there were any queries, I would raise them."

People had access to health care professional advice, staff sought advice in a timely way and followed professional's directions. One healthcare professional told us, "They know the residents very well and they are very involved in their care. They are appropriate and reasonable with their requests. There doesn't seem to be a huge staff turnover which is a positive sign. They are very welcoming; they follow appropriate processes."

People were supported by a consistent staff team, led by a committed registered manager and management team. The registered manager told us they were proud of the commitment and resilience of the staffing team throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic.