Thorndene Residential Home is situated on the outskirts of Doncaster, and is in easy reach of local shops and amenities. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 22 older people. Accommodation is located on both the ground and first floor. There is a small car park at the front and enclosed gardens at the side and rear of the home. At the time of this inspection there were 18 people who used the service living at the home.

Thorndene at Home is also provided from this location. This is a domiciliary care service and provides person care to people living in the community. At the time of this inspection we were told 16 people received the service. A further six people required only social support, for example help with shopping cleaning and socialising in the community.

At the last inspection on the 6 January 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this unannounced inspection on the 8 February 2017 we found the service remained Good. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

We received positive feedback from people using the service. We carried out observations to see how they were being supported and cared for. We observed positive interactions between the staff and the people using the service. People told us they felt safe and the staff were respectful and observed their rights and choices

There was sufficient staff with the right skills and competencies to meet the assessed needs of people living in the home. Those who received care in their home told us staff were prompt and met their assessed needs.

Robust recruitments procedures ensured the right staff were employed to meet people’s needs safely. Staff received training to administer medications safely both in their own homes and in the residential care home.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had a varied diet and they told us they liked the meals that were provided to them. People could access a range of health care professionals including their GP, district nurses, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.

People could take part in activities of their own choice and there were also organised group activities such as arm chair exercises and entertainment which was brought into the home by the provider.

Relatives and staff were happy with the way in which the service was run. The service was appropriately managed. There were comprehensive systems for monitoring the quality of the service. The registered manager and staff team listened to and learnt from the feedback of others to make changes and improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 6 January 2015. We last inspected the service in October 2013 and found they were meeting the Regulations we looked at.

Thorndene Residential Home is situated on the outskirts of Doncaster, and is in easy reach of local shops and amenities. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 22 older people. Accommodation is located on both the ground and first floor. There is a small car park at the front and enclosed gardens at the side and rear of the home. At the time of this inspection there were 19 people who used the service living at the home.

The service has a registered manager who has been registered with the Care Quality Commission since January 2014. 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.

People told us they felt safe living in Thorndene. One person said, “I have lived here for a while and it’s ‘easy’ we are all very relaxed and I don’t think there is anything for us to worry about.” Another person told us they felt safe because there was always someone there or they would come straight away if they pulled their alarm chord. The person said, “I had a fall in my room the day before and staff came straight away and checked me out”.

There were procedures to follow if staff had any concerns about the safety of people they supported. The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were in place to protect people who may not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) sets out what must be done to make sure that the human rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected, including balancing autonomy and protection in relation to consent or refusal of care or treatment.

People’s physical health was monitored as required. This included the monitoring of people’s health conditions and symptoms so appropriate referrals to health professionals could be made. For example we saw from records that people had received intervention from a speech and language therapist (SALT). This meant people with swallowing difficulties received food and fluids appropriate to their needs. One person said, “If I needed a doctor I’d tell them (staff) and they’d arrange it. If a doctor can’t come they’d take you.” This was confirmed by the person’s relative who added, “Even when I was here and he needed to go to the doctors staff went with me because of his wheelchair, staff are very good.”

There were sufficient staff with the right skills and competencies to meet the assessed needs of people living in the home. People told us they did not have to wait to receive personal care. We saw that staff answered call bells quickly.

Staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs and made sure they supported people to have a healthy diet, with choices of a good variety of food and drink. People we spoke with told us they enjoyed the meals and there was always something on the menu they liked. One person said, “Food’s great, chef is very good, gives us a list of what we can have in the morning but she always says if there’s nothing you like, she asks us what we would like.”

People were able to access a few activities like a motivation class. However, these sessions were only available once every two weeks. People told us they particularly enjoyed the planned activities but found at other times there was nothing organised. The registered manager told us that this was an area that she plans to develop in the near future.

We found the home had a friendly relaxed atmosphere which felt homely. Staff approached people in a kind and caring way which encouraged people to express how and when they needed support. One person said, “It feels like home living here.” Another person said, “Staff are always there when you need help.”

Staff told us they felt supported and they could raise any concerns with the registered manager, and felt that they were listened to. People told us they were aware of the complaints procedure and said staff would assist them if they needed to use it. We noted from the records that no formal complaints had been received in the last 12 months. The registered manager told us that she was going to commence a log that will capture ‘niggles and concerns’.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by the registered manager and the provider. The reports included any actions required and these were checked each month to determine progress.

We spoke with seven people who used the service to gain their views about the care they received and their experiences at Thorndene. One person said, “This is the best place to live, if you can’t live at home.

We also spoke with nine relatives. One relative said, “I looked at a number of homes but knew my relative would like Thorndene.” Another relative said, “My relative’s health has improved a lot since moving into the home, I can’t praise the staff enough.”

We saw that staff treated people with dignity and kindness. We observed that a friendly and positive approach was used, to ensure that the wishes and needs of people using the service were respected.

We found care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people’s safety and welfare.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. This included staff receiving training in this subject and the provision of protective equipment.

The people who lived in the home were kept safe because the provider had taken steps to maintain the building and we saw that regular health and safety checks had been carried out.

People received care and treatment from suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because their records had been reviewed and updated regularly.

We spoke with six people who used this service about their experiences while living at Thorndene. People told us it was a nice home and the staff respected their rights and choices. One person said “We all get along fine, we look after each other and we are friends. We have fall outs but that’s just like every family.” People told us they liked the food and there were always lots to choose from. One person said “I like my coffee very strong and with cream not milk and staff make it for me just as I like it.”

People told us that they were happy with the care they received at home and we saw staff interacting with people in an appropriate manner.

People told us that staff were respectful and observed their dignity when carrying out personal care. We asked people about the times they liked to go to bed. People told us that they were able to choose the time, although sometimes it varied depending on what was happening in the home. We observed people asking staff to take them to bed and staff responded quickly to their request.

People told us they liked living at the home and staff were kind. Comments included “staff are very good, they help me to get dressed and they listen to me”. “We all get along together I feel at home”. “I like to get up early and usually sit in my room until its breakfast time. Staff usually tell me when breakfast is ready”.

People we spoke were positive about the care provided to them. Most people said staff looked after them well, however one person said “sometimes staff patronise me, they don’t think I can answer for myself” we asked the person to elaborate more but said they did not want to add anything further.

We observed activities taking place in the lounge. This included a quiz, and a ball game. People appeared to enjoy the activity. People chatted to each other and they said they had enjoyed a party to celebrate a person’s one-hundredth birthday. Staff interacted with people in the lounges chatting about television programmes and what was in the news.