Archived: Mali Jenkins House

The home has a manager in post that is currently being registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 told us they felt safe in the home. Staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities to keep people safe and report any allegations of abuse. People’s individual risks were assessed and equipment was available for staff to use. People received their medicines as prescribed although some people’s medicines were not recorded accurately.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available who were safely recruited and received training to support people’s care needs. Staff understood the need to gain people’s consent before providing any support or assistance but had a lack of understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. Assessments of people’s capacity to consent and records of decisions had not been completed correctly in people’s best interest.

People enjoyed their food and had choices regarding their meals. People were supported to access health and social care professionals to meet their care and health needs. People told us staff were caring. People felt involved in their day to day choices and were supported by staff to maintain their independence. People’s dignity and privacy was respected by staff.

People and their relatives were involved in developing their care plans and people received care that met their needs. People told us they were happy living at the home and took part in a number of different activities. People and relatives knew how to raise any concerns and were confident any issues would be addressed.

People and staff told us the management team were approachable and supportive. People and their relatives were encouraged to share their opinions about the quality of the service. Quality audit systems were in place and there was evidence that action plans were put in place where improvement was needed.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

People were cared for in an environment that was safe, clean and hygienic. Equipment at the home had been well maintained and serviced regularly. There were enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the people living at the home and a member of the management team was available on call in case of emergencies. A person who lived there said, "I've lived here for years because I love it so much. It's a lovely place and the staff are really nice."

Staff records demonstrated that mandatory training was up to date and that staff were trained sufficiently to meet the needs of people who lived there. Staff were trained in caring for people with dementia and for people with complex needs.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which applies to care homes. While no applications have needed to be submitted, policies and procedures were in place. Relevant staff had been trained to understand when an application should be made, and how to submit one.

Is the service effective?

Relatives told us that they were happy with the care that was delivered and that people's needs were met. We spoke with a relative who told us that they trusted the staff to provide a high standard of care. They said, "It makes a big difference being able to leave [relative] here and know they are looked after so well." It was clear from our observations and from speaking with staff that they had a good understanding of people's care and support needs and that they knew them well. People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard. Staff had received training to meet the needs of the people living at the home.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people. Staff took into account the complex needs of people when planning activities so that they could take part safely. We spent time speaking with a person who lived there who told us how happy they were with the activities, the staff and the food. Staff said that they were very happy with the level of professional and emotional support they received from the management team.

Is the service responsive?

People's needs had been assessed before they moved into the home. Records confirmed people's preferences and interests and 'Who Am I?' records were used to help staff understand each person's personality and emotional state. People had access to activities that were important to them and were supported to maintain relationships with their friends and relatives. This was demonstrated by the provision of animals for people to look after, such as chickens and a rabbit as well as an outdoor bowling area.

Is the service well led?

Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and robust quality assurance processes were in place. A relative told us that the manager had an open-door policy and that they were always willing to talk. Food was prepared freshly on site by catering staff who were trained to be able to meet the complex nutritional needs of people. Staff told us that they were clear about their roles and responsibilities and that management support was of a high standard and helped them to do their job effectively.

We involve people who use services to help us improve the way we inspect. Because of their unique knowledge and experience of using social care services, we have called them experts by experience. During the inspection, together with our expert by experience, we spoke to five people living at the home, three visitors to the service, four staff members and the manager.

We looked at three people's care plans. Information and risk assessments were in place and had been reviewed appropriately. Professional health advice was sought when necessary. We saw that people who used the service were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink. Generally people we spoke with said the food was good and choices of meals were available.

We looked at how medicines were managed in the home. We found systems were in place for storing, recording and handling medicines.

Staff training was available. This included safeguard training (protecting vulnerable adults). The staff we spoke with said they had regular one to one meetings with the manager and felt supported in their role.

The manager had systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service provided at Mali Jenkins.

Mali Jenkins House is a specialist residential home for people with a diagnosis of Parkinson Disease and other neurological conditions. We had received concerns about the absence of a manager at the home. These concerns had been raised by the local authority. At the time of our visit the local authority had stopped new placements of people in this home. We were informed that a new manager had been appointed and had been in post for two weeks.

We observed that staff were courteous and polite and treated people with dignity and respect. The staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the care requirements for people. We did not see that risk assessments had been completed for people who had bed rails to prevent them falling. This meant risks had not been considered and actions put in place to minimise the risks.

We asked staff about their understanding of safeguarding (protecting vulnerable adults). Not all staff had received safeguard training.

Staff working within the home did not have regular one to one meetings, supervisions or appraisals to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge to care for people living at the home.

There was on going development to the quality assurance process for the manager and provider to monitor the quality of the service at the home.