Archived: Bellerose

During our inspection in April 2013, we had found that the provider was not compliant with these essential standards. Concerns relating to safe medicines management were identified and a specialist review of the safe handling of medicines was carried out on 30 April 2013. In addition there were recording errors made in the Medication Administration Record charts.

The provider did not have an effective recruitment procedure in place to assure people's safety and to ensure that staff working at the home worked in line with their permitted number of hours in accordance with restrictions placed on their UK Border Agency Clearance visas. We also found that there were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's care needs and that staff had been working long hours without an adequate break between shifts. We further noted that the recruitment records had not been maintained appropriately.

During this follow-up inspection, we found that the provider was now meeting these essential standards of quality and safety.

One person said, "The staff are all very good, kind and polite." They added that they had settled down since moving in, and that 'everyone seemed to get along well with each other.'

Three people showed us their bedrooms, which were reasonably tidy, and had personal items on display, reflecting the person's lifestyle.

People we spoke with said that they had freedom to leave the premises as they pleased as long as they informed a member of staff. One person said, "I tell the staff when I go out and when I return. I go out every single day and do my own shopping." This showed that people had been given choices, and their wishes and preferences had been respected.

A member of staff explained to us that all the people had opted to have personal allowances, to assist them with shopping for their own food. People had been encouraged and supported to lead independent lives. We observed that staff gave support and assistance accordingly.

Concerns relating to safe medicines management were identified during an inspection on 15 April 2013. A specialist review of the safe handling of medicines was requested urgently. This was carried out on 30 April 2013.

Our inspection on 19 April 2013 identified concerns with recruitment processes, insufficient staff numbers and staff who worked long hours.