Archived: The Nunnery

We saw that people's needs and risks to their safety had been assessed. However, actions to reduce these risks had not always been identified or implemented. There were a lack of meaningful activities for people to participate in.

Staff demonstrated a good knowledge about the subject of safeguarding vulnerable adults and we were assured that any concerns would be reported to the appropriate authorities.

The service was unclean and unhygienic. The provider was not following their own policies in respect of cleanliness and infection control. The premises were poorly maintained. We could not be assured that medication was being administered safely.

Staff were being supervised but we did not see evidence that they had received the necessary training to ensure that they had sufficient skills and experience to provide care to the people who used the service.

The provider was continuing to fail to effectively monitor the quality of the service to protect people from unsafe or inappropriate care or treatment. Some records that were kept by the service were inaccurate or could not be produced when required.

We had received a number of concerns about the care being provided for people living at the service. We looked into these concerns during the inspection.

We found that the provider had not put in place suitable arrangements to protect people from the risk of abuse. Poor standards of cleanliness and hygiene were evident in some areas of the service. Medication was not always administered as prescribed by the prescriber. In the premises, suitable arrangements had not always been made to protect people using the service from the risk of injury.

The provider had not carried out suitable recruitment checks to ensure that all staff working at the service were of good character or had the skills/knowledge to perform their role. Some staff had received supervision but others had not. A lack of effective systems meant that the quality of the service was not being monitored appropriately.

Although some records were being kept regarding the running of the service, a number of others were either out of date, incorrect or absent. This meant that we could not be confident that staff had accurate information to ensure that the needs of people were being safely met.

During our inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and with two relatives visiting a family member at that time. We also spoke with two of the staff team working on the day of our inspection.

People we spoke with told us that they were well looked after. One person told us that staff treated them with dignity and respect and another person said that, "I have come on a million miles since I have been here." However we found that call bells were not always answered as quickly as people would like.

We looked at care records and found that information was recorded in several places and that individual needs were not always met.

We looked at the environment, which was suitable for the needs of people who used the service.

We spoke with two staff members about their role and the training provided. We were told that there were concerns about a member of staff who had been dismissed for being asleep when on duty, but had now returned and was working occasional shifts, including nights. We were unable to check any employment records as the owner was away but have requested further information to enable us to decide whether further action is required.

We did not speak directly with any people who used the service but looked at a range of records relating to their care and treatment, staff training and medication records.

One person told us that their care was, "Very good." They told us that they were able to get themselves washed and dressed, but that staff were, "On hand to help me if I need anything and to make sure I take my tablets." Another person we spoke with told us they had very good carers and that everything was, "All right."

However, we were told by two other people we spoke with that they sometimes had to wait a long time at night to be taken to the toilet. They told us this depended on which staff were working. One of these people also told us that they did not get a hot drink at bedtime.

We looked at records and although maintenance records were up to date, we found that some of the medication records, staff training records and care records were not up to date.