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Alice House, Weston Super Mare.

Alice House in Weston Super Mare is a Residential home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, caring for adults over 65 yrs, caring for adults under 65 yrs and dementia. The last inspection date here was 25th February 2020

Alice House is managed by Flollie Investments Limited who are also responsible for 2 other locations

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Requires Improvement
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2020-02-25
    Last Published 2017-08-18

Local Authority:

    North Somerset

Link to this page:

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Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

8th July 2017 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Alice House is registered to provide accommodation for up to 32 people who require personal care. The home specialises in providing a service to older people who are living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 25 people living at the service. When the service was last inspected in March 2015 there was one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) relating to premises and equipment. This breach was followed up as part of our inspection. The service was rated ‘Good.’

There was no registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the home. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the home is run. A new manager had been appointed. They had submitted their registered manager’s application for consideration to the Commission.

At our previous inspection we found that people were not protected from the risk of infection. At this inspection we found sufficient improvements had been made. Staff were aware of safeguarding procedures and had received training in safeguarding. Discussions with staff demonstrated that they knew how to put these procedures into practice and staff described how they would report concerns if they suspected or witnessed abuse. Staff told us they felt confident to speak directly with the manager. However, the service had failed to notify the Commission of statutorily notifiable incidents; we have made a recommendation about this.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff employed at the service. The provider's recruitment process ensured that only staff deemed suitable to work at the home were employed. Staff did not commence working in the home until all pre-employment checks had been satisfactorily completed.

The staff had a clear knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These safeguards aim to protect people living in care homes from being inappropriately deprived of their liberty. These safeguards can only be used when a person lacks the mental capacity to make certain decisions and there is no other way of supporting the person safely. We have made a recommendation around how the service records people’s best interest decisions for people.

People’s needs were regularly assessed and resulting care plans provided guidance to staff on how people were to be supported. Care plans reflected people’s preferences and personalities.

People were supported to maintain good health as staff had the knowledge and skills to support them. There was prompt access to external healthcare professionals when needed. There were processes in place for the safe storage and management of medicines.

People's care was provided by staff in a caring and compassionate way. People's interests had been identified and they were supported in a way which prevented them from becoming socially isolated. Each person was supported to access and attend a range of activities and local community facilities.

Staff had confidence in the leadership of the manager. There were audits systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Feedback from people and their relatives confirmed they were happy with the service and the support received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

3rd March 2015 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

This inspection took place on 3 March 2015 and was unannounced Alice House provides accommodation for up to 23 people who require nursing or personal care. There were 19 people on the day of our inspection. The home specialises in providing a service to older people who are living with dementia. At our last inspection on 12 December 2013 there were no breaches of the legal requirements identified.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our visit. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. However these were not followed .This had resulted in some areas of the home not being satisfactorily cleaned and people were at risk of acquiring infection and cross contamination. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report

People told us they felt safe and well cared for. We saw risks to people were identified and plans put in place to monitor and reduce risks. Staff attended to people’s needs quickly and were patient, caring and understanding in their approach. Staff were available in different parts of the home to provide support to the people who used the service. Relatives told us they were happy with the care provided. People and their relatives told us there were enough staff.

Appropriate recruitment checks were made on staff and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were administered safely. There were checks on the equipment at the service.

People’s needs were assessed and their preferences identified across all aspects of their care to provide them with appropriate care. People could see relevant health professionals when they needed. Specialist support was sought for staff to help improve their understanding and management of aspects of people’s dementia.

The service complied with requirements of Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The MCA and DOLS provide a legal framework that protects people who lack the mental ability to make decisions about their life and welfare.

A range of suitable activities were organised that considered people’s varied needs. The people who lived at Alice House had complex health and care needs and were supported to choose or join in group activities. We observed that staff spent one-to-one time with people throughout the day.

Care plans had been reviewed and audited. These provide a clear detailed guide for staff with the involvement of people, or their relatives if appropriate. There was a clear system of audits to monitor the quality of the service and actions identified were addressed.

4th December 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Many of the people that used the services at Stanton were unable to tell us their experience of living there because of communication and cognitive impairment. Therefore we spoke to relatives of people who were visiting, to staff working on the day of the inspection and to the manager. We also spent time observing people and staff in order to assess the level of care and support that people received.

We saw that people who used the service had their individual needs fully assessed and that their care was planned and reviewed regularly. We saw that staff treated people with respect and that people had their dignity maintained.

One relative told us "I know all of the staff by name, I know my relative is safe here" and a member of staff told us "I would be happy for any of my relatives to be here".

We saw procedures that were in place to protect vulnerable people from abuse and we spoke to staff and to the manager who confirmed that they had been trained and felt confident and competent to identify and report any safeguarding concerns.

We saw that staff had received training relevant to their role and that they had received regular appraisals and supervision.

We saw how the manager monitored the quality of the service provided and relatives of people who used the service told us that they felt able to raise any concerns with any member of staff.

11th March 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

People who lived at the home were unable to fully express their views because of their dementia. We therefore spent time talking with staff and observing care practices as well as talking to people who used the service.

People who were able to express an opinion said that they were happy with the care that they received. One person said “We are here to be helped and that’s what they do.” We saw that people were able to make choices about how they spent their time and whether or not they joined in with activities.

There was a relaxed and calm atmosphere in the home. Interactions between staff and people were kind and friendly. One person said “They greet me as a friend in the morning and we go through the whole day like that.”

We saw that some people’s bedroom doors were locked when they were unoccupied during the day. This meant that people were unable to access their rooms without staff support which could restrict their freedom of movement around the home.

Staff spoken with felt there were adequate staff on duty at all times. This ensured that people’s physical needs were met and everyone was able to take part in activities. At lunch time we saw that staff were not always appropriately organised to meet the needs of people who lived at the home.

There was a complaints policy which gave people information about how to make a complaint and contact details for outside agencies if they were unhappy with the home’s response to a complaint.

18th August 2011 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We visited Stanton Nursing Home on 18 August 2011. The service cares for people, many of whom are in an advanced stage of dementia. We were therefore not able to talk with people in any great depth about their care. We observed care and support delivered to people, reviewed the information held about people and plans for their care, and talked with members of staff. We said hello to almost all of the people living at the home, talked briefly with some people, and viewed all areas including a number of people's rooms.

On our visit, we observed care and support delivered with patience and kindness from caring members of nursing and support staff. The home was clean and tidy and well appointed with a mix of carpet and laminate flooring, and a lift between floors. The home had recently been redecorated in communal areas and has a new large conservatory area. The rear garden is paved and safe for people to enjoy. All of the people who live at Stanton Nursing Home are able to sit together in one of three different areas which are interlinked, and can be seen if they are sitting in the garden. The home also has a separate dining area where people are able to sit and eat together at mealtimes, and can carry out activities and tasks when the room is not in use for serving food.

People's rooms were clean and tidy and fixtures and fittings of a good standard. Medicines and clinical equipment was safely stored and secure. The home has a professionally appointed kitchen and provides a variety of choice of food, drinks and snacks to people and members of staff who live and work at Stanton Nursing Home.

 

 

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