Caroline House

“Caroline House is a residential care service that provides support for up to 28 older people living with dementia, mental health needs and sensory impairment. This assessment took place from 11 November to the 21 November 2024. We carried out on-site visits on 11 and 18 November 2024. At the time of this assessment there were 21 people living in the home. The assessment was planned in response to concerns raised about the safety of people and the management of the service and governance systems. We did not identify any significant issues during this assessment and the service has remained Good, with areas identified for improvement regarding peoples' documentation, oversight of staff practice in respect of infection control procedures, moving and handling and the management structure. We found recent changes in leadership had impacted on people, visitors and staff negatively. This was because the registered manager was not as visible or accessible due to supporting other services in the organisation. Staff and visitors were not sure of who was in day to day management of Caroline House. People's documentation was not always reflective of people's needs. We have been informed that a new person centred care system was being introduced which will include a complete review of people's needs and address the shortfalls found in care planning and risk assessments.”

“Overall people were received a good standard of care and staff managed risks safely and effectively in a safe and clean environment. Whilst we observed some potential poor practices, these were addressed immediately by the registered manager further training and supervision arranged. Staff and management knew people well and received an induction, training and support that enabled them to manage people’s health and social care in a safe way. People received their prescribed medicines to manage their health needs and people received additional support from external health professionals when it was required.”