28 January 2016
During a routine inspection
Mulberry Manor is a 49 bed nursing home, providing care to older adults with a range of support and care needs. At the time of the inspection there were 24 people using the service.
Mulberry Manor is in the suburb of Swinton in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is in its own grounds in a quiet, residential area, but close to public transport links and the town centre. The home is a purpose –built building operating over two floors, although when the home was inspected the top floor was not in use.
At the time of the inspection, there was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff were extremely caring and undertook their duties in a person-centred and patient manner. However, there were not enough staff to meet people’s needs, and this meant that at times people had to wait for support when they needed it.
Staff had a good knowledge of people and their needs. Staff could describe people's preferences, their backgrounds and life histories, as well as how to support people to keep them safe and provide the care they required.
We found that although there was a comprehensive training programme, it had not yet been embedded into practice and therefore staff had not received adequate training to undertake their roles. Many staff had not received training in relation to recognising and acting on abuse, or in the Mental Capacity Act and ensuring appropriate arrangements in relation to consent are followed.
The provider had failed to make several, legally required, notifications to CQC. These related to safeguarding incidents and the absence of the registered manager. The registered manager was unfamiliar with some of these requirements.
The provider’s system for auditing the service was not fit for purpose, as it had failed to identify or address shortfalls in the service, such as errors and omissions in care plans and legal requirements not being adhered to.