Archived: Marsh House

Updated 21 June 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 27 April 2017 and was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or of caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

During our inspection we observed how the staff supported people and spoke with nine people who lived in the home and three of their visitors. We also spoke with a health care professional who was visiting the home, three members of the care team, two ancillary staff, the registered manager and the registered provider’s operations manager.

We looked at the records relating to the care of five people. We also looked at staff recruitment and training records and records relating to how the registered manager and registered provider monitored the safety and quality of the service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We also contacted local health and social care agencies, who had knowledge of the home, to gather their views about the service.

Updated 21 June 2017

We carried out this inspection on 27 April 2017. The inspection was unannounced.

Marsh House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 older people. The home is in a residential area in Ulverston town centre. It is run by Cumbria County Council. The home is on two floors with most of the bedrooms upstairs and three sitting rooms with dining areas on the ground floor. Marsh House provides permanent accommodation for people and short-term respite care.

At the time of our inspection Marsh House was due to close as part of the restructure of residential care services in Furness. There were 14 people living in the home when we carried out our inspection.

There was a registered manager employed in the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our last comprehensive inspection of this home was carried out 29 January and 2 February 2016. At that inspection we found breaches of legal requirements. We found that people were not always safe because risks were not always managed effectively, there were times when there were not enough staff working in the home and the systems for assessing the safety and quality of the service had not been robust.

After the comprehensive inspection the registered provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breaches. At our inspection in April 2017 we looked at the actions the provider had taken and found that legal requirements had been met.

People were safe living in the home and there were enough staff to provide the support they needed. The staff spent time with people and treated them in a kind and caring way.

Hazards to people’s safety had been identified and action taken to reduce and manage risks. The staff on duty were aware of how to support people to maintain their safety.

People enjoyed the meals provided and were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain their health.

Visitors were made welcome in the home and people were able to maintain relationships that were important to them.

People were provided with a choice of activities in the home and local community that they enjoyed.

The staff knew people well and were trained and competent to carry out their duties.

People were supported to maintain their independence and had been included in planning and agreeing to the support they received.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed and people’s rights were protected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received their medicines safely and as prescribed by their doctors. They were supported to access appropriate health care services to support them to maintain good health.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and managing complaints about the home. People knew how they could raise concerns about the service.

Safe systems were used when new staff were employed to check they were suitable to work in the home.

The home was well managed. People knew the registered manager and found her approachable and easy to talk to. The registered manager asked people for their views of the service and took action in response to their comments.