The Heathers Nursing Home

People received their medicines as prescribed by staff who were competent. Some written information available to assist staff giving people their medicines needed updating and clarification.

Recruitment systems were in place, but some improvements were required to ensure systems were robust and staff were suitable for the role.

Staffing levels were regularly reviewed, and the deployment of staff was effective. Some people however told us that staffing levels could be improved at certain times of the day. A recent situation had impacted on staff response times, in addition to staff sickness, but we saw that the registered manager was addressing this.

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. However, some records held contradictory information in relation to decisions which had been made for people.

People's nutritional and healthcare needs were met. People and relatives praised the staff for being kind and caring. We saw staff treated people with respect. People enjoyed a range of activities. Systems were in place to manage complaints.

The home was clean, and some areas had been refurbished, though further work was needed to make the environment suitable for people living with dementia. We have made a recommendation about this.

People, relatives and staff felt the home was well run. The registered manager responded promptly to any issues we raised during the inspection. Governance systems were in place, but some audits needed to be more robust and detailed. The registered manager had already identified this as requiring improvement and was reviewing these.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk