Archived: Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home

Updated 21 November 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors, a medicines team inspector 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.

Service and service type

Nunthorpe Oaks is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A manager had been recently appointed and was going through the process of becoming registered. 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before 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 requested feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the manager, regional manager, deputy manager, one senior care worker, four care workers, the maintenance person, a housekeeper and the cook. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. 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. This included a range of training information and quality assurance records.

Updated 21 November 2019

About the service

Nunthorpe Oaks is a care home which provides residential care for up to 56 older people. Some people supported by the service were living with dementia. At the time of inspection 39 people were using the service. Nunthorpe Oaks is a purpose built building set out over two floors.

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

At the time of inspection the service was being monitored closely by the local authority due to a range of concerns raised about the quality and safety of the service. At this inspection we found the provider had acknowledged the concerns raised and was taking action to support staff and make improvements. The improvements identified by the management team had not been fully completed and quality assurance systems had not identified some of the shortfalls we found. People and relatives told us they felt the service was now on the right track but there was further work to do.

We found medicines were not always managed safely. Risks to people were not always assessed and managed effectively. People’s individual care needs had not always been assessed and reviewed regularly. We found the home required refurbishment and was not always free of malodours.

Staff knew how to safeguard people from abuse. Recruitment processes reduced the risk of unsuitable people being employed. Staff told us there were usually enough care staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported through a system of induction, training and supervision. However, the provider recognised that there had been some shortfalls in these areas. The provider was working to address this issue.

A range of activities were provided for people. We have made a recommendation about outings and activities for people who do not want to join in group sessions.

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

The service had recently been working closely with a range other professionals and agencies to improve the service on offer to people. A complaints system was in place. Lessons were learnt from adverse incidents.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 2 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified two breaches of regulation in relation to the safety and governance of the service.

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

Follow up

We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.