• Care Home
  • Care home

Park View Care Centre

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Field View, Park Farm, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3NZ (01233) 501748

Provided and run by:
RCH Care Homes Limited

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 12 December 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 4 inspectors and 2 Experts 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

Park View Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Park View Care Centre is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for 3 months and had applied to register. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who use the service and 15 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 18 members of staff including the manager, head of quality and governance, deputy manager, clinical lead, the provider, executive chef, operations director, nursing staff, senior care staff and care staff including agency staff. We spoke with representatives of the external consultancy. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records including 11 people’s care records and multiple medicine administration records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, such as audits, meeting minutes, monitoring, and training were reviewed. After the inspection we spoke with the local authority.

Overall inspection

Requires improvement

Updated 12 December 2023

About the service

Park View Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 88 people. The service provides support to people aged 18 and over, some of whom live with dementia or require complex nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were 58 people using the service.

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

People and relatives told us the service had improved since the last inspection and they felt safe living at Park View Care Centre, however, further improvements were still required.

The provider had increased their oversight of the service and a new manager had been employed since the last inspection. The provider had identified shortfalls within the service and had worked to rectify these. However, this action had not always been successful. Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had not been consistently assessed and there was not always person centred guidance in place for staff to mitigate risks. Accidents and incidents had been recorded, analysed and changes had been made to reduce the risk of them happening again.

Medicines were not managed in a consistently safe way, medicine records were not accurate and there was not always guidance for staff about when to give when required medicines.

The provider had put systems in place to improve the quality and continued oversight of the service, some of these systems had not yet been embedded or had time to be fully effective.

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.

People and relatives told us the culture within the service had improved and they were now confident their concerns would be taken seriously and investigated. There was now a system in place to make sure the provider’s policy was followed.

People and relatives told us the food had improved. Staff had received training in the provision of textured diets, to help to keep people at risk of choking safe. Staff training had increased, staff told us they had the skills they required to complete their roles. Improvements had been made to staffing levels and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Some relatives and staff raised concerns about the staffing levels in the future when new people came to live at the service. The provider told us they would take this into consideration when new people were assessed before moving into the service.

Staff knew people well, people told us they received care in the way they preferred and had the opportunity to take part in activities.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 24 November 2023) and there were breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made but the provider remained in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 23 November 2023. On 21 June 2023, we imposed urgent conditions on the provider's registration to ensure that risks relating to choking, malnutrition and dehydration were safely managed. We also requested the provider reviewed their quality assurance systems to ensure effective oversight of these risks, and that the relevant investigations were completed. We requested the service provided regular updates to CQC. We also restricted any new admissions to the service. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures and the conditions imposed have been removed.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective and well led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to risk management, medicines and governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

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.