Olivemede

Updated 17 May 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection

outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Olivemede is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Olivemede is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage

the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager but they had left their employment in August 2022. We had not received any applications for a new registered manager. An interim manager had been managing the service since September 2022 but had left their position without giving notice.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 people who used the service, 3 relatives and a visiting friend. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the nominated individual who was also the provider. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with a registered manager from the provider's other service, a housekeeping staff member, the chef, and an administration assistant.

We reviewed a range of records, this included 5 people's care records. We looked at medicines records and 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service and fire safety were also reviewed, including incident records, compliments, quality assurance processes including audits and policies and procedures.

Updated 17 May 2023

About the service

Olivemede is residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 33 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom were living with dementia, people with a physical disability and people with a sensory impairment. Olivemede accommodates up to 33 people in one adapted building. Each person’s accommodation included en-suite facilities with shared communal shower, dining and lounge areas. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Not all staff adhered to good infection prevention and control practices. Fire safety was compromised due to the storage of materials under a fire escape stairwell and not all medicines records were accurate. Risks to people were identified, but these were not always safely managed. Although no one had come to harm, there was a potential risk of harm.

Although the service had a registered manager, the provider notified us on the 22 September 2022 they had left the service and no longer worked there. A new manager had been in post since but had not applied to be a registered manager. This manager left without notice on the 24 April 2023. We had no records of a manger being registered at the service since September 2022

Staff had regular medicines administration training and had their competency assessed to do this safely. However, not all staff recorded the quantity administered where there was a prescription for one or two doses. This meant it was not possible to establish patterns for as and when medication. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that respected their independence and achieved positive health outcomes.

The service was clean and suitably equipped to meet people's support needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and knew how to do this.. The service had enough safely recruited staff who were appropriately skilled and knew people's needs to help keep them safe.

Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. Staff respected people's wishes, needs and rights and valued and acted upon people's views. This helped people have a say in how the service was run.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good, published on 5 January 2022 .

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicines administration, staffing, risks to people's safety, restrictions on people's liberty and management of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We looked at the safe and well-led questions. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.