Pittsmead Grange Care Home

Ratings

• Overall

  Requires improvement

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Requires improvement

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Requires improvement

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

Pittsmead Grange Care Home is a care home that can accommodate for up to 50 older people some of whom are living with a dementia. At the time of our assessment there were 44 people living at the service.

This is the first rating of the service since their registration with the CQC. The assessment was prompted in part by concerns raised regarding people’s care and treatment and the management of medicines.

We found the provider was in breach of the legal regulations relating to the proper and safe management of medicines, safe care and treatment, need for consent, person centred care and good governance.

The overall rating of this service is requires improvement.

At the time of our on-site assessment there was a registered manager in post for the service. However, they are now no longer at the service, and an acting general manager is now in post at the service. Throughout our assessment we spoke with the registered manager, regional director and 10 staff including clinical development nurses, care community leads, care staff, chef, maintenance and housekeeping staff. 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.

Assessments of people’s needs and risks were not always completed or reviewed to ensure they were reflective of people’s needs and wishes. Risks to people were not always assessed, documented and detailed within their plan of care. Staffing levels were observed to be minimal and feedback from people and staff about staffing levels was mixed. Medicines were not always managed and administered safely. Staff did not always work within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Codes of Practice. People’s care plans were not always person centred, documented or reflective of individual’s preferences, life histories and wishes. Governance and oversight systems were not robust or effective in identifying shortfalls in the service and in driving service improvements. However, the provider started to address some of our concerns during our assessment process.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

People's experience of this service

During our assessment, we spoke with 7 people using the service and 4 relatives.

We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives about their experience of using the service. People overwhelmingly told us they thought there was not enough staff and staff were busy. Comments included, “I don't think there are enough. They are so busy and are on their feet the whole time. I think that they could do with more help”, “There are definitely not enough staff on any part of this floor. There are not enough carers and not enough catering staff”, and “There are definitely not enough staff because you can call people and they don't come for ages.”

While the people we spoke with expressed that they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards. People and their relatives were complimentary about the care and support they received from staff. People told us they enjoyed the activities on offer and trips out on the minibus. People told us they enjoyed the menus on offer and choices, and the quality of food served. People told us they were happy with the home environment.