Archived: Arden Manor Care Home

Updated 12 August 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Arden Manor Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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 our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since our last inspection, including notifications the provider had sent to us and information we had received from the public. We also gathered feedback from the local authority.

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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the nominated individual, the provider, and 2 members of staff. We looked at the care records for 6 people. We checked the care people received matched the information in their records. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, including audits carried out within service, staff recruitment checks and medicines records for 11 people.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 12 August 2023

About the service

Arden Manor Care Home is a care home providing personal care to 11 people at the time of the inspection. The home is registered for up to 23 people. Some of the people were living with dementia. People have access to their own bedroom along with communal spaces including lounges and gardens.

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

Risks to people were not managed in a safe way. After incidents occurred action was not always taken to mitigate the risk of further occurrence. Staff did not always have the information to keep people safe and this placed people at risk of harm and an inconsistent approach. People were not always protected from abuse as incidents were not always documented to ensure appropriate action was taken.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

Infection control procedures had improved however there were still areas that required action. There were still some areas within the home that were in need of repair. Medicines management required improving as people did not always receive their ‘as required’ medicines as prescribed and protocols for covert medicines were out of date.

Staff received training however we were not assured the competency processes in place were effective to ensure staff had the skills and knowledge to support people in a safe way. People’s independency and dignity was not always promoted.

The systems and audits in place were not robust or effective in identifying areas of improvements. There was no evidence lessons were being learnt when things went wrong. Feedback had started to be obtained from people and their relatives however no action had been taken when areas of improvement had been suggested.

There were enough suitably recruited staff to offer support to people. People enjoyed the food available and were offered a choice. They also had the opportunity to spend time with their families and participate in activities they enjoyed. There were plans in place for people ‘s end of life care.

Peoples needs were assessed and reviewed and they were happy with the care they received. Health professionals’ advice was sought when needed and this advice was followed within the home. There was a complaints procedure in place. We were notified by the provider of events that occurred within the home.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate and there were breaches of regulations. We issued 2 warning notices following our last inspection. (Published 9 March 2023) The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

The overall rating for the service has remained inadequate based on the findings of this inspection. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Arden Manor Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to how people are safeguarded, the care and support they received in relation to risk management, capacity and consent and the systems in place to ensure the home is effectively governed.

Full information about CQC's regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations.