Islington care home gets seal of approval from care watchdog

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Mar 18, 2014

Inspectors from a national care watchdog have given Care UK’s Highbury New Park care home in Islington their seal of approval, highlighting the home’s attention to residents’ dignity and preferences, as well as the excellent standards of care provided.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors, who visited the home in January and were able to talk to residents, relatives, visitors, the local GP and team members, found that the home met the Government’s five standards of care, which are:

• Treating people with respect and involving them in their care;
• Providing care, treatment & support that meets people's needs;
• Caring for people safely & protecting them from harm;
• Staffing; and
• Management.

Inspectors found that the team took real care to ensure that residents were involved directly in their own care – one example observed was when a resident, who was supposed to be encouraged to stay mobile and out of bed, wanted to go back to their room to lie down. A team member encouraged them to stay in the day room but discovered, through talking to them, that they wanted to lie down because their back hurt. Their pain medication was reviewed and they were helped back to bed.

One relative told inspectors: “Here the staff give encouragement and don't just leave my relative to lie in bed all day. They (the staff) involve me in discussions and check to see if I am happy with everything.”

The inspectors observed that team members helped residents with day-to-day tasks where necessary, but allowed them to take the initiative, providing support and encouragement but reinforcing residents’ independence.

Inspectors were satisfied with how the home managed residents’ medicines, with all the correct systems in place to make sure that each person received what they needed at the right time. They were also satisfied with complaint procedures.

Relatives were also full of praise for the team – one said: “The staff are kind and always seem to have plenty of time for you. As you can see some people are always grumbling but the staff are so patient.”  Inspectors spoke with people's relatives about staffing – one told them they were much happier since their family member had moved to the home. They said “there is always someone with people, talking to them; they were not just left on their own to watch a television - in fact I don't think I've seen the television on.” Another relative said: “they seem to be well trained and have been here a long time, which tells its own story.”

The local GP, who visits regularly, also vouched for the high standard of care offered, saying: “they (the staff) do an excellent job, I'm very pleased with the care provided and they keep me informed of any changes.”

Manager Shiva Sheikholeslami said: “I am really delighted that we have met the high standards set by the CQC and the Government. We have a fantastic team here who are really dedicated to offering people person-centred care, and I am proud of all their efforts.”

Highbury New Park offers residential and nursing care for older people, many of whom are living with dementia.