About the service:

Goldenley is a residential home in South Benfleet, close to local shops and amenities. The service provides accommodation and personal care for older adults, some of whom have dementia related needs. The care home can accommodate 41 people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection, 39 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

•People and their relatives made positive comments about the care provided by the service.

•People received care from well trained, knowledgeable staff who genuinely cared about the people living at the service and treated people with dignity and respect.

•Care was personalised to meet people’s needs and promote choice and independence.

•Staff understood and felt confident carrying out their roles.

•People’s care plans were detailed and up to date. Staff knew about people’s likes and dislikes and used this information to form meaningful relationships with the people living at the service.

•People were encouraged to engage in activities and maintain relationships with friends and family members.

•The service demonstrated good governance processes to keep people safe through regular audits such as medicines and infection control to ensure quality of care.

•People received their medicines safely and when they needed them.

•The service offered staff the opportunity to continually develop their skills and knowledge through accredited training courses.

•The service was well led by an established senior management team who took a genuine interest in the people who worked and lived at the service

The service met the characteristics of good in all areas; more information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Good. Report published 16 March 2016.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of inspection to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our scheduled programme of inspections.

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

This inspection took place on 1 and 2 March 2016.

Goldenley is registered to provide accommodation with personal care to up to 40 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia related needs. There were 37 people receiving a service on the day of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were knowledgeable about identifying abuse and how to report it to safeguard people. Recruitment procedures were thorough. Risk management plans were in place to support people to have as much independence as possible while keeping them safe. There were also processes in place to manage any risks in relation to the running of the service.

Medicines were safely stored, recorded and administered in line with current guidance to ensure people received their prescribed medicines to meet their needs. People had support to access healthcare professionals and services. People had choices of food and drinks that supported their nutritional or health care needs and their personal preferences.

People were supported by skilled staff who knew them well and were available in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs effectively. People’s dignity and privacy was respected and they found the staff to be friendly and caring. People were supported to participate in social activities including community based outings.

Staff used their training effectively to support people. The manager understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff were aware of their role in relation to MCA and DoLS and how to support people so not to place them at risk of being deprived of their liberty.

Care records were regularly reviewed and showed that the person had been involved in the planning of their care. They included people’s preferences and individual needs so that staff had clear information on how to give people the support that they needed. People told us that they received the care they required.

The service was well led; people knew the manager and found them to be approachable and available in the home. People living and working in the service had the opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided. Their views were listened to and actions were taken in response. The provider and registered manager had comprehensive systems in place to check on the quality and safety of the service provided and to put actions in place to improve it.

During our visit to the Goldenley in November 2013 two areas were highlighted as requiring improvement and compliance actions were made. The provider submitted an action plan to tell us how they intended to address the concerns identified and this visit was to confirm that this action had been taken and that the service was now safe.

On our visit to the service on 3 February 2014 it was clear that the required paperwork was now in place and that regular audits had been completed around care planning, the delivery of care and the equipment used within the home. New systems and processes had been implemented to help improve the service and to help keep people safe.

We found that before people received care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. Where people did not have capacity to consent, the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements. However, we found that care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

We looked at the nutritional needs of people and found people were protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. People's health, safety and welfare was also protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others. However, we found people were not protected from unsafe or unsuitable equipment.

We spoke to people who used the service. One person told us, “The ladies (carers) are very good.” They explained that they liked it at the home because of the people, their friends and the food. However, people also told us that they would like to be offered more choice of foods, such as a banana, tangerine or a yogurt in the morning.

Each person was noted to have a support plan in place detailing their specific care needs and how they were to be supported by staff. Records showed that people who use the service were supported to maintain their healthcare needs. We saw that staff arranged for people to be seen by their doctor when they became unwell or their medical or mental health condition required a review.

The atmosphere within the service was calm and relaxed and staff interactions with people who live there were noted to be positive. Staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding of people’s care and support needs.

Records showed that the provider had an effective recruitment and selection process in place and this involved all relevant checks being carried out prior to the member of staff commencing employment at Goldenley.

One person spoken with who used the service, told us that they felt confident to raise issues with the manager and/or staff and that any concerns would be listened to and acted upon. A record of compliments by visitors to the service was maintained. Comments included, "I would like to thank you all for the excellent way you cared for our relative", "Goldenley is a wonderful home for the elderly and I know the staff always try their best to improve the lives of the residents and provide the best care possible" and "You are caring, thankyou from the bottom of my heart."

People with whom we spoke, told us, they liked living at Goldenley and found the staff to be kind, caring and supportive. People confirmed that the care and support provided by staff, met their individual care needs. Relatives spoken with, told us, they were happy with the care provided for their member of family.

People living in the home looked relaxed during the day of our visit. People told us that they felt safe and that, if they had any concerns or worries, they would discuss them with their relative or a member of staff.