Archived: Castle Mount

Castle Mount is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The care home can accommodate up to thirty four people across three units, each of which have separate adapted facilities. One of the units specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. There were twenty two people in residence when we visited. People living in the service are older adults. The home does not provide nursing care.

The home had a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager who had a background in social care and in management. 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.

The staff team understood how to protect vulnerable adults from harm and abuse. Staff had received suitable training and spoke to us about how they would identify any issues and report them appropriately. Risk assessments and risk management plans supported people well. Good arrangements were in place to ensure that new members of staff had been appropriately vetted and that they were the right kind of people to work with vulnerable adults. Accident and incident management was of a good standard.

The registered manager kept staffing rosters under review as people's needs changed. We judged that the service employed enough care staff by day and night to meet people's needs. There were suitable numbers of ancillary staff employed in the home.

Staff were appropriately inducted, trained and developed to give the best support possible. We met team members who understood people's needs and who had suitable training and experience in their roles.

Medicines were suitably managed in the service with people having reviews of their medicines on a regular basis.

People in the home saw their GP and health specialists whenever necessary. The staff team had good working relationships with local GP surgeries and with community nursing services.

Good assessments of need were in place, and the staff team reviewed the delivery of care for effectiveness. They worked with health and social care professionals to ensure that assessment and review of support needed was suitable and up to date.

People told us they were satisfied with the food provided and we saw suitably prepared meals being served. Simple nutritional planning was in place and special diets catered for appropriately.

Castle Mount is situated in a residential area of Egremont. The provider had updated and refurbished the building to a good standard. It had suitable adaptations and equipment in place. The house was warm, clean and comfortable on the day we visited.

People in the home were kept fully informed and helped to make their own decisions. People were aware of the plans to close the service in 2019 when the new residential home was ready to open. They were being involved in choosing furniture and fittings for the new home.

The staff team were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 who lived in the home told us that the staff were caring. We also observed kind and patient support being provided. Staff supported people in a respectful way. They made sure that confidentiality, privacy and dignity were maintained.

Risk assessments and care plans provided detailed guidance for staff in the home. People in the service were aware of their care plans and had influenced the content. The management team had ensured the plans reflected the person centred care that was being delivered.

Staff could access specialists if people needed communication tools like sign language or braille.

Staff encouraged people to follow their own interests and hobbies. We saw evidence of regular activities and entertainments in the home.

The service had a comprehensive quality monitoring system in place and people were asked their views in a number of different ways. Quality assurance was used to support future planning.

We had evidence to show that the registered manager and the operations manager were able to deal with concerns or complaints appropriately .

Records were well organised, easy to access and stored securely.

The service was last inspected in March 2014 when we found the standards we inspected on that day were met.

Castle Mount is a purpose built residential care home registered to provide accommodation for up to 34 older people, with a variety of needs, who require personal care. The home is situated in a residential area of Egremont and is a short distance from the amenities of this small town.

The home is operated by Cumbria County Council.

There was a registered manager in post on the day of our visit. 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.

The service had suitable systems in place to protect people from harm and abuse. The staff team understood their responsibilities under safeguarding. The provider responded appropriately to staff concerns and had a ‘whistle blowing’ policy.

There were suitable plans in place to deal with any emergency situation. Risk assessments and management plans were in place to ensure the environment was safe. Accidents and incidents were monitored.

We saw that the home was suitably staffed to meet people’s needs. Recruitment was done correctly and the service had a disciplinary procedure in place.

Medicines were well managed and staff were trained and competent in dealing with medicines.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

We spent time with people in all areas of the home. We saw that the staff offered people assistance and took the time to speak to people and take up the opportunities they had to interact with them and offer reassurance if needed.

People living there told us that care staff were mindful of their privacy and treated them with respect. We saw that the staff approached people in a friendly and respectful way and people we spoke to who lived there told us that it was a “lovely place to live in.”

There was an appropriate internal quality audit system in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.

People knew how they could complain about the service they received and how to make a complaint was displayed in the home.

There was an appropriate system in place to monitor the level of care and support provided.