Archived: Gingercroft Residential Home

Gingercroft Residential Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 21 people. 19 people were using the service at the time we inspected.

The registered manager supported us throughout the inspection. 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.

People were safeguarded from abuse and the risk of abuse as staff knew what constituted abuse and who to report it to. The manager had previously made referrals for further investigation when they had suspected abuse had taken place.

People were supported to be as independent as they were able to be through the effective use of risk assessments and the staff knowledge of them.

There were enough suitably qualified staff who had been recruited using safe recruitment procedures available to maintain people’s safety and meet their individual needs.

People medicines were stored and administered safely by medication trained staff.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is designed to protect people who cannot make decisions for themselves or lack the mental capacity to do so. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the MCA. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. The provider followed the principles of the MCA by ensuring that people consented to their care or were supported by representatives to make decisions.

Staff were supported to fulfil their role effectively. There was a regular programme of training that was relevant to the needs of people at the home.

People’s nutritional needs were met. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

People were supported to access a range of health care services. When people became unwell staff responded and sought the appropriate support.

Staff were observed to be kind and caring and they told us that they were supported by the registered manager.

Care was personalised and met people’s individual needs and preferences. The provider had a complaints procedure and people knew how to use it.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. When improvements were required these were made in a timely manner.

During this inspection we spoke with the manager. We saw that the care plans and documentation had been improved to demonstrate a more robust assessment of a person's needs.

During the inspection we spoke with four carers, eight people living in the home, four relatives and two ancillary staff. The registered manager was not in the home; the senior carer was available to assist with the inspection. Following the visit we spoke with the manager on the telephone; we discussed and agreed the feedback from the inspection.

We spoke with people about how they were involved in the home and how their care and welfare needs were met. People told us they were settled and well cared for.

We found that the care records we looked at were not accurate and documentation was incomplete, for example the recording of people's weight. We identified that although some documentation was available this did not form part of the main care plan and this may lead to unsafe care being delivered. Some documentation was not dated or signed by the assessor.

We looked at the environment of the home and noted how the service was being maintained. We found that some areas of the home were in need of attention.

We spoke with the staff about their recruitment and what is was like to work in the home. We spoke with people that lived in the home about making complaints and what they would do if they had cause for concern.

We looked at the care planning documentation for three people using the service to see how their care was provided and managed. We talked with staff who were aware of and able to discuss, people's care needs. Staff told us that they had received training to help them understand how to meet the needs of people in their care.

We saw four people's bedrooms and the communal areas. These were decorated and presented in a way that promoted their individuality. We saw that bedrooms were homely and people had their own possessions around them. The home was clean and tidy.

We found that sufficient staff were on duty to meet people's needs in a timely manner.

The manager showed us that they regularly audited the service people received to maintain the high standards they expected.