Archived: Wren Park Care Home

Our inspection on 3 June 2013 found that there were insufficient staff to meet the needs of people living at Wren Park Care Home. People and the staff told us that nursing staff were stretched as they had additional tasks to undertake that meant they were not always able to address the needs of people living at the service. The provider wrote to us and told us they had recruited additional nursing staff and would use agency staff to address any further shortfalls.

We found the manager had recruited three additional registered nurses and a number of carers since our inspection on 3 June 2013. We observed the interactions in various locations in the home and noted the call bells were answered promptly. Over the meal time the needs of people were being met in a timely way. People and staff told us the increased levels of staffing had made a positive difference to the care they received.

We also looked at the quality assurance systems and noted steps had been made to update staff training. Dementia and nutritional champions had been appointed from the staff team. Action had been taken to address the issues raised by the fire officer from their inspection in July 2013. Equipment had been serviced and we saw records to evidence this action.

When we inspected Wren Park on 19 July 2013, we observed a welcoming, friendly environment. We spoke with five members of staff, four people who lived in the home, and a relative, about the care and support offered to people.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people living in the home, and saw that staff understood the needs of the people they were supporting. Those we spoke with who lived at the home, told us they were happy living there. One person using the service said to us, 'I am happy here and well looked after.' A relative who visited the home several times a week said, 'From my point of view everything is so good. They (referring to the staff) tell me what is going on.'

We found that staff provided people with choices and ensured their privacy and dignity were upheld.

We found that the home had a range of moving and handling equipment including hoists to ensure people were assisted safely and effectively. People were encouraged and supported to have adequate nutrition and hydration.

We found that appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were maintained in the home. However, improvement was required to minimise the potential risk of food contamination.

We found that staff were appropriately recruited and trained. Work was still in progress to ensure that staff received regular appraisal and supervision.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people living in the home, and saw that staff understood the needs of the people they were supporting. Those we spoke with who lived at the home, told us they were happy living there. One person said, 'It's nice living here, I am happy with the care." Another said, "I really like it very much."

We observed staff were polite and respectful of people and involved them in making decisions about their support, and how they spent their time.

We looked at people's care records and found these to be regularly reviewed and relevant for people's assessed needs. We saw that processes were in place to safeguard vulnerable people, and staff had a good understanding about steps to take if they had concerns.

We looked at the staffing systems in place, including recruitment processes, staffing numbers, and also the training and support provided for staff. We saw evidence that staff received training relevant for their role; however, we identified concerns that the number of staff on duty was not consistently sufficient to meet the needs of people living at Wren Park.

During our visit we found the home to be clean and smell fresh. We spoke with four people who told us they thought the home was clean.

Staff had received training in infection control and were clear about the precautions to take to maintain cleanliness and reduce the risk of the spread of infections.