Karenza Care Home

Updated 13 June 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Karenza Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and we looked at both during this inspection.

Registered manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for three weeks. They had not submitted an application to register at the time of this inspection but were planning to do so.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service such as notifications. We used information sent to us by the provider in their PIR. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed 3 people's care plans and risk assessments. We reviewed all the staff training and supervision. We also reviewed other records relating to the management of the service. We spoke with 10 people who lived at Karenza Care Home, 5 staff, the manager and the training, recruitment, and development manager. We also spoke with 2 relatives. Following the inspection, we spoke with the provider.

Updated 13 June 2023

About the service

Karenza Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 22 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

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

Prior to this inspection CQC had received a number of concerns regarding low staffing levels and poor care outcomes for some people.

There were not enough staff to meet people’s needs, even with agency staff covering some shifts. Some people told us they were not always able to have a wash every day with staff support. Staff confirmed this.

The service were recruiting to vacant posts at this time. Appropriate processes in place helped ensure safe recruitment.

Nearly half of the people living at Karenza required the support of two staff for all care and support. There were only two care staff planned to work with one nurse on duty at night. Staff told us people did not always have their needs met in a timely manner.

Parts of the Karenza building were in need of attention. One person’s room had areas where the plaster had fallen off the wall. The ensuite toilet was in a very poor condition. The main lounge double glazing was in need of replacement and people’s view of the grounds was obscured by moisture within the windows. This was reported to the provider.

The provider had effective safeguarding systems in place and staff knew what actions to take to help ensure people were protected from harm or abuse.

People received their prescribed medicines in a safe way. Staff used an electronic medicines management system to record all administrations. Regular medicine audits were taking place.

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 worked within the principles of the MCA and sought people's consent before providing personal care and assistance. Guidance in care plans guided staff to help build independence wherever possible.

Identified risks were assessed and monitored. Care plans contained guidance and direction for staff on how to meet people’s needs and reduce risks.

Care plans were electronic and contained current guidance and direction for staff to meet people’s needs. Care plans had been recently reviewed.

The food provided at Karenza was delivered pre-prepared by an external company. People’s feedback about the food was mixed. Staff were available to support people with their meals where needed.

The manager had only been in post for a few weeks prior to this inspection. They had already carried out audits and begun to review every care plan personally.

The manager and the provider had oversight of the service. An audit programme was in place to help identify any areas of the service that may require improvement. However, the poor standard of décor in parts of the service had not been addressed in a timely manner.

The manager had contacted people’s families by letter to introduce themselves and invite them in to Karenza to meet and seek their views. Staff were being met with to address any immediate issues or identify any improvements needed. Staff confirmed things had begun to change for the better.

The manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. The manager and the staff worked with local health and social care professionals to meet people’s needs.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 10 May 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found in relation to staff support, premises and management oversight.

We undertook this focused inspection to check if the provider had made improvements and if they were now meeting the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions Safe, Effective and Well-led.

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 not changed following this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Karenza Care Home on our 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.

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.