Archived: Belgravia Care

Updated 10 February 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We undertook an unannounced comprehensive inspection of Belgravia care on 6 November 2015. This was because at the last inspection on 3 March 2015 the service was not meeting some legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. After the last inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breaches. This inspection was done to check that improvements to meet legal requirements planned by the provider after our last inspection had been made.

The team inspected the service against all five questions we ask about services: is the service safe, is the service effective, is the service caring, is the service responsive and is the service well led. We looked at the overall quality of the service, and provided a new rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors, an adult social care inspection manager and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience for the inspection at Belgravia Care had experience of services for people with learning disabilities.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included the last inspection report and provider actions to meet the regulations and notifications we had received from the registered provider about incidents that affected the health, safety and welfare of people who lived at the home. We also checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people who lived at the home had been received.

We spoke with a range of people about the service. They included the registered provider, the registered manager, five members of staff on duty and nine people who lived at the home. We also spoke with two relatives.

We looked at care and the medicine records of four people, the previous four weeks of staff rotas, recruitment and staff training records and records relating to the management of the home.

We also spoke with health care professionals, the commissioning department at the local authority and contacted Healthwatch Blackpool prior to our inspection. Healthwatch Blackpool is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced whilst living at the home.

Updated 10 February 2016

This inspection took place on 6 November 2015 and was unannounced. At the last inspection in March 2015 the registered provider did not meet the requirements of the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014 and was rated as ‘Inadequate. As a result of our findings on the inspection we took enforcement action.

After the last inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breaches. During this inspection we checked that they had followed their plan and that they now met legal requirements.

Belgravia Care is situated on the seafront at Blackpool. The home is registered to accommodate up to 19 older people, people with learning disabilities and people living with dementia, who require assistance with personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people who lived at the home.

The ground floor was used as a social and activity area. The first floor had offices and three communal areas, including dining, lounge and crafts rooms. Bedrooms were situated on the upper floors of the home. All rooms were single occupancy with en-suite facilities. There was a passenger lift for ease of access and the home was wheelchair accessible. There was parking to the front of the building.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

The staff team were experienced, knowledgeable and familiar with the needs of the people who lived at Belgravia Care.

Procedures were in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Risks to people were minimised because risk assessments were in place. People told us they liked living at Belgravia Care and enjoyed living there.

We looked at the recruitment and selection procedures the provider had in place to ensure people were supported by suitably qualified and experienced staff. We looked at the recruitment records of three members of staff. Suitable arrangements were not always in place to ensure safe recruitment practices were followed.

People said there were enough staff to support them well and give them help when they wanted this. One person told us, “The staff come to the gym with me and I go swimming. There is always someone to help me when I need help.” We could see there were sufficient staff available to support people and staff were not rushed when providing care.

Staff had been trained and had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people they cared for. They received regular support and supervision from senior staff.

We looked at how medicines were managed and found appropriate arrangements for their recording and safe administration. People were given their medicines as prescribed and they were stored safely.

Records were available confirming gas appliances and electrical facilities and equipment complied with statutory requirements and were safe to use. The environment was well maintained, clean and hygienic. There were no unpleasant odours. People told us the home was always clean, tidy and fresh smelling. However the effectiveness of the infection control measures were reduced because two staff were wearing nail varnish and / or long false nails.

We saw the registered manager and management team had improved the care provided to people living with dementia and those with learning disabilities. This had enhanced their experiences in the home.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager discussed applications she had submitted. This showed us staff were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

People told us the food and drinks were plentiful with lots of choice. They also said they were offered frequent drinks. We saw staff made sure people got enough to eat and drink with a choice of healthy and nutritious meals.

People we spoke with told us staff were caring and helpful. They told us they felt staff valued and respected them because of the way in which they supported them. Staff were aware of people’s needs around privacy and dignity and made sure they respected these.

Staff had listened to people about the kind of activities they wanted. This helped them develop the variety of and frequency of activities to encourage people to interact and socialise.

People knew how to raise a concern or to make a complaint if they were unhappy with something. One person told us, “If something was not right I would tell the boss.”

People told us the registered manager and staff team were approachable and supportive and listened to their views. They said that residents meetings were now carried out. Surveys were also sent to people who lived at the home, relatives and staff.

The registered manager showed us the quality assurance audits the management team and the consultant they had hired had carried out. We saw a number of improvements had been made as a result of these.