Archived: King Edwards House

The inspection took place on the 16 and 17 June 2016. The home was last inspected on 14 and 15 January 2016 where we found breaches of regulations and issued a warning notice. Prior to this the home was inspected on 13 May 2015 to check if breaches of regulations had been met which had been found at an inspection in December 2014.

King Edwards House provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning difficulties and mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the home.

King Edwards House did not have a registered manager in post. 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.

Although staff had the knowledge to protect people from abuse there had been a failure to report incidents of physical abuse between two people using the service, these had not been investigated. In addition we had not been notified about these incidents and another incident where the police had been called.

The environment of the home had not been maintained in a safe manner.

Sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons were not always deployed.

One person’s rights had not been protected, they had not had an authorisation made to deprive them of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

Despite regular checks on the service provided these had not resulted in improvements to areas identified for action such as guidelines for giving people their medicines and maintenance of equipment and the garden.

People were treated with respect and kindness, their privacy and dignity was respected. They were supported to maintain their independence and keep in contact with relatives. People were enabled to be involved in activities such as trips out of the home when staffing levels allowed.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

King Edwards House provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning difficulties and mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the home.

King Edwards House did not have a registered manager in post. 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 at risk of receiving care from unsuitable staff because robust recruitment procedures were not being applied. Although staff had the knowledge to protect people from abuse there had been a failure to report one person’s allegation so that it could be investigated properly. In addition we had not been notified of this allegation of abuse. Staff had not had the benefit of being able to undertake the care certificate qualification.

Effective systems had not been operated to ensure the improvement of the service. Although some people were having their weight monitored this had not always been carried out as directed.

People’s rights were protected by the correct use of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People’s health care needs were met through regular healthcare appointments and liaison with health care professionals. People were consulted about their choices for meals.

People received personalised care and there were arrangements in place to respond to concerns or complaints from people using the service and their representatives.

Staff were caring and respectful in their approach to people and involved them in the planning and review of their care and support.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

We looked at the care records for four people who used the service. We also spoke to two people who used the service and looked at other documents held by the provider. The care files had been reviewed recently and contained up to date information relevant to each person who used the service. Risk assessments and care plans were in place and they reflected each person's needs.

We found that medicines were given appropriately by staff that had been trained to administer them. Staff and people who used the service told us they felt the home required more staff. However, we found no evidence that people's care was being

negatively affected by the staffing levels in place at the time of our inspection. The provider had implemented quality monitoring visits and satisfaction surveys.

We spoke to one person who used the service and they told us 'I would rather live in my own place, but the staff are helping me to be more independent'. They also told us that 'I have plenty to do and like to help the staff with cooking and I go out a lot'.

Overall we did not have any concerns relating to the care people received at the home. We saw evidence that people were given choice in what they wanted to do and when they wanted to do it. People told us that they liked living in the home and found staff to be supportive. We did find omissions with medication recording and general record keeping. We also did not have reassurance that a robust quality monitoring system had been put in place.