Manor Court Care Home

Updated 15 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by three inspectors, a nurse specialist advisor and an Expert by Experience who spoke with people living in the home. A second Expert by Experience supported the inspection after our visit by contacting the relatives of people who used the service. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Manor Court Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Manor Court Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager. However, they had not been present at the service for a number of months and had resigned their position the week of the inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 19 people who used the service and one relative. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the regional director, nurses and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 15 people's care records and various medicines 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 provider to validate evidence found. We also spoke with 11 relatives who provided feedback about the service.

Updated 15 November 2022

About the service

Manor Court Care Home is a care home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 111 people accommodated in four self-contained units. At the time of our inspection, only three of the units were in use accommodating 78 people. The service provides care to older people, some who were living with the experience of dementia, and younger adults with physical disabilities.

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

The provider did not always have effective systems in place to protect people from risks they faced in their daily lives. We found there were not enough staff to meet people’s needs and to provide safe care. We observed staff were task focused and did not always have time for much meaningful interaction with people. There was also a lack of person-centred activities.

The provider had infection prevention and control policies in place, but records showed cleaning schedules were not always completed and we identified several areas where cleaning had not been maintained adequately.

The provider had systems in place to monitor, manage and improve service delivery, but these have not always been used effectively so shortfalls were identified in a timely manner and addressed.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed. Staff knew how to respond to possible safeguarding concerns. We saw medicines were managed safely so people received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care plans were personalised and recorded people's preferences, so staff knew how to respond to people's needs appropriately.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 25 November 2021).

Why we inspected

We received information of concerns in relation to staffing levels and the impact this had on the quality of care people were receiving. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

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 monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches of regulations in relation to safe care, person centred care, staffing and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.