6 February 2014
During an inspection in response to concerns
People told us that care workers wore gloves when helping them with their personal care. One person said 'they [care workers] always wear gloves'. We spoke with care workers about the location and availability of disposable gloves. Care workers told us that there was always a plentiful supply of gloves.
We found that there was enough moving and handling equipment to promote the independence and comfort of people who used the service. We looked at the hoist and saw that it was in full working order. We saw evidence that the hoist was serviced in September 2013.
We spoke with four people who lived at Kirlena house. One person told us "I like living here'. We observed care workers supporting people in a sensitive and friendly way. One person told us 'I have never heard anyone [care workers] raise their voice. I've seen other residents be aggressive, the way the staff deal with them is lovely'.
We looked at the care records for five people. Records showed that each person had undergone an assessment of their needs and that care plans and assessments were person centred. We were, however, concerned about one person because recommendations from the speech and language therapist (SALT) were not being followed to manage the risk of choking. We shared our concerns about this person with the registered manager and with the local authority safeguarding team.
We spoke with people who used the service who told us that they felt safe. We spoke with care workers who understood how to identify abuse and knew how to appropriately report any concerns they had.
We found that appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe storage and administration of medicines. We saw that staff administering medicines had received training in medicines management.
We found there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. However, we found that appropriate checks were not always undertaken before staff began work.
We looked at the training and professional development provided to care workers working at Kirlena House. We found that staff did not always receive appropriate training and were not always appropriately supervised and supported in line with the service's own policy. For example, we found that only one member of staff had received an annual appraisal and only two staff had received supervision in the last year.
We found that the provider did not effectively operate systems to identify, assess and manage risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of people.