The New Wycliffe is a ‘care home’ for older people, some of whom are living with sight loss and/or dementia. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The New Wycliffe accommodates up to 49 people in a two-storey purpose-built residential home in Leicester. The home is on two floors with a lift for access and has a range of lounges, dining areas and gardens. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people using the service.

This inspection took place on the 22 March 2018 and was unannounced. We had previously inspected this home in November 2015 when it was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. 'Responsive', which had been Outstanding, was now Good as we did not find enough evidence to maintain the Outstanding rating for this domain.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There was a registered manager 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.

The staff were caring and kind and people and relatives told us the home had a family atmosphere. Staff engaged with people and shared jokes with them which people enjoyed. Family members said they could visit the home at any time and always found their family members well-cared for and content.

People were safe living at the home and staff knew how to support them to stay safe. All areas of the home were clean, tidy and fresh. Effective systems and checks ensured the premises were safe for people. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were safely managed and given to people when they needed them.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them moving into the home to ensure that staff were able to meet these. The home specialised in supporting people with sight loss and staff understood people’s sight issues and how these might affect them on a day to day basis. The staff were skilled, knowledgeable and experienced and had the necessary training to support them in their roles.

People and relatives made many positive comments about the food served. The home employed four part-time nutritional support workers who helped to ensure people had a healthy balanced diet. People had regular access to healthcare professionals and staff sought support from them when needed.

People were encouraged to make decisions about their care and day-to-day routines and preferences. Staff demonstrated they worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and there was documentation to support this.

People were encouraged to follow their interests. People and relatives told us about some of the activities they had enjoyed including hosting a travelling zoo, using the home’s cyber café to speak with relatives abroad, and going out on the home’s ‘side by side’ tandem bicycle with staff.

The home had a shop/cafe stocked with drinks, sweets and toiletries. Some people helped in the shop putting sweets in jars, tidying up, and dusting the shelves. The shop/cafe was popular with people and visitors and provided a pleasant space where people could gather together and socialise.

The culture of the home was caring and inclusive with people at the heart of the service provided. People and relatives told us the registered manager and staff were approachable and helpful.

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This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 26 November 2015.

The New Wycliffe Home provides residential care to 46 older people living with sight loss, some of whom are also living with dementia. The home is on two floors with a lift for access and has a range of lounges and dining areas. All bedrooms have ensuite facilities. There are accessible and secluded gardens surrounding the home. Since we last inspected a new wing for people living with dementia, known as the Butterfly Wing, has been added to the home.

The home has a registered manager. This 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.

People told us they felt safe at the home and relatives said they thought there family members were safe. Staff were trained in safeguarding (protecting people who used care services from abuse) and understood what to do if they had concerns about any of the people using the service.

There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs and to spend time socialising and doing activities with them. Staff were well-trained and had the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively. There was a culture of continual learning and improvement in the home.

People told us they liked the food served. People were asked what they wanted and were given options to choose from the menu. The food looked and smelled appetising. If people required assistance with their meals staff provided this. People’s nutritional needs were assessed when they came into the home and care plans put in place to help ensure these needs were met.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s health care needs and ensured they saw healthcare professionals when they needed to. During our inspection a chiropodist was in the home asking people if they would like to have their feet attended to. Staff from the home accompanied people of their healthcare appointments.

Staff were kind and caring and had a sense of fun. We saw one care worker supporting a person to walk from one end of the home to the other for lunch. They were singing ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ as they made their way down the corridor which made the journey more entertaining for them both.

Pets were central to life at the home and part of the caring and positive atmosphere there. We saw people with the home’s budgie perched on their fingers and one person told us how they took a staff member’s dog for walks in the grounds.

Activities were a big part of life in the home. When we inspected people were making Christmas decorations and laughing and chatting as they did this. Staff showed us photos of a recent activity where a corridor had been filled with dry, crackly autumn leaves and people had walked through them or wheeled through in their wheelchairs. The photos showed how much people had enjoyed this.

The home had a happy, homely atmosphere and people using the service and relatives told us they thought it was well-run. The decor was bright with good signage to help people identify particular rooms. All areas were clean, fresh and uncluttered with wide corridors and handrails both inside and out to make it easier for people to find their way around.

People using the service and relatives were involved in the running of the home and were asked for suggestions on all aspects of the service including meals, activities and décor. Changes and improvements were made in response which showed people’s ideas were valued.

The registered manager was experienced in care and knowledgeable about the people using the service. All the people using the service, relatives and staff we met spoke highly of her and said she was approachable and listened to them. The home had a formal audit system incorporating regular checks on all aspects of the service and this helped to ensure the home was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

We spoke with people who used the service and some visiting relatives, which included speaking with a relative on the telephone. People’s comments about the service they received were positive and included: “Everybody here is very kind; I have a key worker who gets things for me if I need them.” “I enjoy the trips out to ‘Monkey World’, garden centres, meals out and the recent trip to Lincoln.” “I enjoy spending time in the garden and the recent fete was a huge success.” “I join in the quizzes and I think they do the best for us. I think it’s pretty good here; we have a menu to choose from. I go out into the garden when it’s possible and we recently had a barbecue.” “As in life, you get on well with some folks and some not so. Having said that no carer has ever been untoward to me.” “The care staff are very efficient.” One person we spoke with told us they took part in the activities in the evening, which included a book reading group who were currently reviewing a book about the life of Gracie Fields, giant crossword events, a knitting group and quiz events. There were regular visits from faith groups and a Chapel is attached to the service.

We spoke with three people who had relatives who used the service. Their comments included: “I can’t fault New Wycliffe, my relative requires phenomenal patience, and their being here gives me tremendous peace, they’re so kind and all I want is a good quality of life for my relative and I have a sense of being safe with them being here.” “A complete moving and handling assessment was carried out by the moving and handling trainer when my relative’s needs altered, my relative eats well and has put on weight whilst they’ve been here. The registered manager has a positive leadership approach.” One relative told us that the registered manager had organised training to which relatives were encouraged to attend. The relative told us that had attended training in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults from abuse and dementia awareness.

Throughout the day we saw people being encouraged to take part in activities by the activity organiser and staff. A themed display about the Queen was being set up and staff encouraged people to investigate what the Queen carried in her hand bag, to interact with the Corgi dog, and to look as postcards and books from the Queen’s earlier days. We also saw a member of staff take ‘Snowy’ the services rabbit to people to hold and stroke. The activity organiser wrote the activities for the day on the activity board located in the ground floor corridor. Next to the activities board was a large colourful button that when pressed played an audible recording of the daily activities available. This facility was to support people with a visual impairment.

In addition in the corridor on the ground floor the menu was written on a board. Alongside this was a ‘talking menu’, which required a person to press a large colourful button in order to hear the menu for the day. This facility is to support people with a visual impairment who used the service.

The premises were of a high standard. The outside areas were safe and well maintained, with wide paths and guiding rails for people with mobility difficulties and a visual impairment. The garden was colourful and benefited from a number of seating areas and objects of interest to look at which included a bird aviary and a pond.

We spoke with five people who use the service and asked them for their views about The New Wycliffe Home and the service they receive. People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. People’s comments included:-

“We get to make decisions all the time, it’s up to us what time we get up or got to bed, or whether we join in activities or not.”

“I’m well cared for. The staff are lovely and helpful if you need anything you only have to ask.”

We spoke with two visitors who were visiting relatives and asked them for their views about The New Wycliffe Home and the service their relative received. Visitors comments included:-

“I’m happy with the care I chose this home on personal recommendation. I visited the home and spoke with the manager.” “There’s always something going on and staff have time to sit and talk with the residents.”

Records showed that people’s needs were comprehensively recorded and regularly reviewed which enabled staff to provide the care and support people needed. We found through talking with staff and by looking at records that staff received the necessary training and support.

Meetings take place with people who use the service to enable them to influence the care they receive which included talking about menus, staffing issues as well as activities including outings. People we spoke with told us they were encouraged to take part in activities organised by the service, which included visits to places of interest.