Archived: The Victoria Residential Home

People were satisfied with the level of cleanliness and on a tour of the occupied areas we found the home to have satisfactory standards of hygiene. Records and checks were in place to monitor the cleanliness.

Whilst urgent repairs had been carried out and the manager had carried out an audit of the environment, many areas of the home were in need of refurbishment and redecoration. We also noted the grounds were unkempt and untidy.

People were provided with appropriate equipment to enable them to move safely round the home and a new bath hoist and transporter chair had been fitted to the bathroom on Butterworth unit. This was an improvement on the previous outdated equipment and very beneficial to the people living in the home.

Suitable systems had been implemented to monitor the quality and safety of the service. This included a care plan audit tool, which was used to monitor people's care plans to ensure they were accurate and up to date.

However, our observations and findings indicated people were not always receiving appropriate support and care to meet their needs. For instance one person's weight had not been adequately monitored and the manager and staff were unaware of the amount of weight the person had lost in the last month.

People told us they liked their bedrooms, which they were able to personalise with their own belongings. However, some areas of the home had not been maintained to a satisfactory standard. Whilst some new equipment had been purchased to help people safely move round the home, the bathroom equipment was limited and staff told us some people were anxious when using the bath hoist.

Whilst our observations confirmed the staff were attentive and sensitive to people's wishes and preferences, problems posed by the internal communication systems, the layout of the building and the number of staff on duty had not been considered and assessed in relation to the needs of people living in the home.

We have carefully considered the impact of these shortfalls on the people living in the home and took account of their high level of satisfaction with the service provided. We are aware that following our inspection, the manager left the service and a new manager was appointed. The management company responsible for overseeing the operation of the home have begun work on a new action plan and have assured us they intend to bring about the necessary improvements. We have therefore concluded that we will not escalate our action beyond warning notices at this time. However, if we find continued breaches in the regulations on our next visit to the home, we will consider progressing further with enforcement action.

However, our findings and observations indicated people were not always receiving appropriate and safe care. Staff were guided by the information in the care plans, but, we found some important details in the plans had not been reviewed and updated in line with changing needs. This meant staff did not always have clear information about people's current needs and circumstances. We also found there was a lack of recognition and response when one person required urgent medical attention. This situation placed peoples' health and wellbeing at risk of harm.

Whilst our observations confirmed that people had a good relationship with staff, the staffing levels had been reduced and this impacted on the amount of time staff could spend with people in the pursuit of recreational activities. As such one person told us there was not much to do and occupy her time.

People said there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to ensure they received help and assistance whenever they needed it.

Visitors were welcome in the home at any time and people said they were supported to maintain good contact with their family and friends. Relatives spoken with were satisfied with the quality of care provided and felt that their family members were looked after in a caring and sensitive manner.

People were able to follow their chosen routines and could rise and retire to bed in accordance with their preferences. People were happy with the food provided and said they enjoyed their meals on the day of the visit. People were given sensitive support to eat their food.

People had individual equipment to help them move around the home. However, the equipment in the bathrooms was limited and one person said she did not feel secure and comfortable using this equipment.

People were able to follow their chosen routines and could rise from and retire to bed in accordance with their preferences. People were happy with the food provided and said they enjoyed their meals on the day of the visit.

Staff were concerned about the lack of direction in the home following the departure of the manager and the reduction in staffing levels on Thursby unit during the week. The latter meant they were not able to spend as much time with people arranging activities. Further to this, a person living on Thursby unit said the unit was 'sometimes short staffed' and another person commented there was 'not a lot' to do during the day.