29 November 2016
During a routine inspection
Ashwood Care Centre is a nursing home providing care for a maximum of 70 people. The service has three floors. The ground floor is for people with general nursing and personal care needs, the first floor is for people with nursing and dementia care needs and the second floor is for people with personal care and dementia care needs. At the time of the inspection there were 62 people using the service.
The service is required to have a registered manager. At the time of inspection there was a new manager in post who had commenced on 24 October 2016 and who was going through the application process to become the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Risks were not always being assessed to identify the action required to minimise them. People were not always supported in a manner that maintained their safety. Evidence was not available to show the findings of the fire and legionella risk assessments had been addressed.
Staff recruitment procedures were in place but were not always being followed to ensure only suitable staff were employed by the service.
Staff were not always meeting people's social, emotional and leisure needs in a way which reflected their preferences.
Care records were varied with some being comprehensive while others did not identify and reflect people’s individual needs, interests and wishes.
The process for auditing and monitoring had not been effective in identifying shortfalls within the service.
The environment had not been reviewed to encompass the sensory needs of people with dementia. We have made a recommendation in respect of this.
The majority of staff demonstrated a caring attitude towards people, however some of the care was task driven and the manager was working with staff to improve the care people received.
Systems and equipment were being serviced and maintained and incidents and accidents were recorded, investigated and audited to minimise the risk of recurrence.
Procedures were in place to safeguard people against the risk of abuse. Staff understood the importance of keeping people safe and reporting any concerns.
The provider made suitable arrangements to ensure service users were protected against the risks associated with the inappropriate treatment of medicines.
Policies for infection control were in place and were being followed to maintain a clean environment and protect people from the risk of infection.
Staff received training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to care for people effectively.
The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). DoLS are in place to ensure that people’s freedom is not unduly restricted.
People’s dietary needs and preferences were being identified and met.
People’s healthcare needs were identified and they received the input they needed from healthcare professionals.
A complaints procedure was in place and people and relatives said they would express any concerns so they could be addressed.
The manager was approachable and was introducing practices to improve the communication within the service.
We found five breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.