Archived: Firbank Residential Care Home

Updated 21 October 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 two inspectors on the first day and one inspector on the second and third days.

Service and service type

Firbank Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

There was no registered manager at the service at the time of the inspection. The last registered manager left the service in December 2020. The manager told us they had made an application to the Care Quality Commission in December 2020 to registered as the manager of Firbank Residential Care Home.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We sought feedback from the local authority.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the manager, deputy manager, care workers and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 21 October 2021

About the service

Firbank Residential Care Home is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 26 people in one adapted building. At the time of the inspection 17 people were living at the home.

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

Although people told us they felt safe, we found that people did not receive a service that ensured they were safe. Not all people living at Firbank Residential Care Home had appropriate care plans and risk assessments in place, in order to guide staff how to meet their needs and keep them safe.

People were not cared for in a safe environment and we found a number of safety concerns in relation to the environment throughout the inspection. Including, but not limited to, a lack of effective window restrictors, fire safety concerns; including unsafe escape routes and cluttered communal areas.

Risks associated with infection prevention and control were found at the inspection, including, but not limited to; areas of the home which could not be effectively cleaned due to wear and tear, lack of cleaning systems and staff not always wearing personal protective equipment in line with government requirements.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs in a timely way. However, the recruitment of staff did not always ensure people were protected against the risks of unsuitable staff being employed. People were supported to take their medicines safely.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

Robust systems were not in place to help ensure staff had received adequate training in a timely way to equip them to do their roles, safely and effectively. This had resulted in a system being implemented by the management team and a new training provider being introduced to the service. However, at the time of the inspection we could not be assured that all staff had received essential training.

Although peoples care records did not always contain detailed and clear information for staff on how to best support people with their health conditions, most staff demonstrated they understood people’s needs and how these should be managed. People were supported to access healthcare services when needed. People were supported to eat a varied and nutritious diet.

Feedback from people, relatives and staff was positive about the management of the service and the level of care received. We did observe interactions by staff that were caring, and kind and people were treated with dignity and respect. People were confident that if they had any concerns, these would be dealt with effectively by the management team.

Quality and safety monitoring systems were not adequate, and we found there was a lack of governance processes and systems in place to help ensure the safe running of the service. Without these systems, the provider and manager could not be proactive in identifying issues and concerns in a timely way and acting on these.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 8 January 2018).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about unsafe medicines management, infection control, staffing, training, recruitment practices, fire safety and poor management and leadership. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to the safe care and treatment for people, consent, recruitment, training, deprivation of liberties, premises and equipment and good governance at this inspection.

Following this inspection we served a Notice of Proposal to cancel the providers registration. The provider had 28 days to appeal this proposal. No appeal was received. Therefore the providers registration was cancelled.