Archived: Chalkney House

Updated 12 December 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

On day one, the inspection team consisted of two inspectors, two specialist professional advisors 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. They had cared for a family member living with dementia. On day two, two inspectors carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

Chalkney House 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. 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 inspection, the manager had submitted an application to become the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. This inspection was undertaken on 24 October and 06 November 2019.

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 used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the manager, operations manager, assistant manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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 included missing information about legionella, falls analysis, training and quality assurance. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 12 December 2019

About the service

Chalkney House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for people aged 65 and over. The service can support up to 47 people. At the time of the inspection there were 26 people living at the service.

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

There were systemic failings at the service. Concerns raised during the previous inspection had not been effectively addressed. The provider did not have effective systems and processes in place that enabled them to identify, monitor and assess risks to the health, safety and welfare of the people who use the service. Where risks had been identified, measures had not been introduced to remove the risk within a timescale that reflected the level of risk or the impact on people using the service.

The service failed to manage and mitigate fire safety. We referred the service to the local fire authority.

The provider did not always safely maintain the environment to ensure it was safe for people living in the service.

Appropriate checks in place were not completed by competent staff to ensure the environment was safe.

The environment was not always clean and required improvement. We have made a recommendation about the environment of the service.

Further improvements were required in end of life care planning for people to ensure their last wishes were known and followed.

People’s dignity could not always be maintained due to the environment of the home.

Staff were instinctively caring and understood people’s needs.

Information was available in other formats to aid people’s understanding where required.

People received care from staff who understood how to recognise potential abuse.

People's health was well managed, and staff had positive relationships with professionals which promoted people's wellbeing.

People were encouraged to maintain their independence and to make their own choices about how and where they spent their time. People were offered activities which they had the opportunity to join in.

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 practice.

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 requires improvement (Published 8 November 2018). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection not, enough improvement had not been made and the provider was still in breach of regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to the environmental risk and lack of sustained improvement.

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

We will request an action plan and will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.