What the CQC found at Arden House

Inspectors saw positive engagement. Staff supported people's privacy, dignity, choices and independence.

“Staff were caring and engaged positively with people.” from the report

People received medicines as prescribed. Records and checks were in place, including for medicines needing stricter controls.

“Medicines were managed in accordance with good practice and people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report

Care plans gave staff detailed information about people's preferences and needs. Staff reviewed changes and shared them at handovers.

“Care plans demonstrated personalised care that was detailed and specific to people's individual preferences and needs.” from the report

People could join varied activities, including creative, social and reminiscence activities. They also had a choice of meals, drinks and snacks.

“The activities co-ordinator arranged a diverse and varied list of activities to engage people in accordance with this philosophy.” from the report

The governance weaknesses found at the previous inspection had been addressed. People and staff described managers as approachable and available.

“At this inspection people and staff were very happy with the leadership of the home and systems to ensure the quality of the service had improved.” from the report

Some people could not leave the home unaccompanied. The report says specific capacity assessments and legal applications had not been completed for these restrictions.

“Capacity assessments had not been completed to confirm whether people had the capacity to understand the specific risks of going out unaccompanied, and if they lacked that understanding, no applications had been submitted to the local authority to legally deprive people of their liberty.” from the report

A steep staircase was directly behind a door leading to the kitchen and dining room. There was no lock at the time of inspection, although the provider planned to fit a keypad lock urgently.

“We were concerned this presented a risk to people should they open the door in error.” from the report

Some people said staff took up to 20 minutes to answer their call bells. Inspectors also saw that staff were sometimes too busy to respond immediately.

“However, one person told us, "They take their time coming to answer my bell, 20 minutes sometimes" and another said, "They are slow in answering my bell.” from the report

People who stayed in their bedrooms or did not join group activities wanted more chances for social contact. Staff were not always able to spend as much time with people during busy periods.

“However, some people who chose to stay in their bedrooms or not engage in group activities felt they would like more opportunities for social engagement.” from the report

People usually raised small concerns informally, so these were not recorded as formal complaints. Managers agreed that recording them would help identify patterns.

“The deputy manager agreed it would be beneficial to record these minor issues in future, so they could have an overview of people's experiences and to monitor for any trends or patterns.” from the report