We carried out a review of the data available to us about Ramsgate Care Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Ramsgate Care Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
Ramsgate Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal care to 33 older people and people living with dementia at the time of the inspection. Ramsgate Care Centre accommodates 42 people in one purpose built building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.
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 Good (published 23 October 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to check infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. This was to provide assurance that the service had responded to a coronavirus outbreak effectively. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains Good.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Ramsgate Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal care to 42 older people and people living with dementia at the time of the inspection. Ramsgate Care Centre accommodates 42 people in one purpose built building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe and at home at Ramsgate Care Centre. People were treated with dignity and respect and their lifestyle and equality needs and choices were understood and respected. People had privacy.
People were protected from the risks of harm and abuse and any concerns they or staff had, were listened to and acted on to keep people safe. Risks to people had been assessed. People were supported to remain independent, understand risks and take them when they wanted to.
Staff supported people to remain healthy and were offered a balanced diet which met their needs. People’s medicines were managed safely. People were protected from the risk of infection.
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 this practice.
People had planned their care with staff. They were supported to take part in a range of activities. People had been offered the opportunity to share their end of life preferences.
The provider and registered manager had oversight of the service. They completed regular checks on the quality of care people received. People and staff were asked for their views of the service. These were listened to and acted on to improve the service. Records of people’s care were accurate and complete.
The registered manager understood their legal responsibilities and had shared information with us and others when they needed to.
There were enough staff working at the service each day to support people. Staff had the skills they needed to care for people and were supported by the management team. Staff were recruited safely.
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 good (published 23 January 2019).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
We undertook this focused inspection to check that the improvements made at the last inspection had been embedded and sustained. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for (location's name) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Ramsgate Care Centre 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 accommodates 42 people in one purpose built building. There were 40 people living at Ramsgate Care Centre at the time of our inspection.
Improvements seen at our last inspection to the way medicines were managed had been sustained. The stocks of medicines were correct, records were accurate and detailed guidelines were in place for the administration of each person’s medicines. Effective checks had been completed on medicines.
A registered manager was leading the service. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider and registered manager had oversight of the service. Effective systems were in place to continually improve the service and act on information received about changes to best practice. The registered manager and the provider checked the service regularly to make sure it met the required standards. The views of people, their relatives, staff and community professionals were asked for and acted on.
Staff felt supported by the registered manager and were motivated. The registered manager or deputy manager were always available to provide the support and guidance staff needed. Staff worked together as a team to support people. Records in respect of each person were accurate, complete and kept secure.
Assessments of risks to people had been completed and care had been planned with them, to meet their needs and preferences and keep them safe. Accidents and incidents had been analysed and to look for patterns and trends.
Staff knew the signs of abuse and were confident to raise any concerns they had with the registered manager or provider. People were not discriminated against and received care tailored to them.
There were enough staff to provide the care people needed when they wanted. Staff were recruited safely and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks had been completed to make sure staff were suitable for their role.
The service was clean and staff followed infection control processes to protect people from the risk of infection. The building was well maintained
The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events at that had happened at the service, so we could check that appropriate action had been taken.
Services are required to prominently display their CQC performance rating. The provider had displayed the rating in the entrance hall.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Ramsgate Care Centre 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 accommodates 42 people in one purpose built building. There were 42 people living at Ramsgate Care centre at the time of our inspection.
At our last inspection we found that accurate records had not been maintained about everyone’s medicines and one medicines check had failed to identify these shortfalls. Following the inspection, we added a condition to the provider’s registration requiring them to send us a monthly report of any actions they had taken to address medicines shortfalls and prevent them from happening again. We received these reports as required. At this inspection we found that the action taken to improve the management of medicines at the service had been effective and people were protected from risks associated with medicines. We will continue to monitor medicines management at the service to make sure that the improvements have been sustained and people receive a good service.
A registered manager was leading the service. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider and registered manager had oversight of the service. They had learnt lessons from previous incidents and used these to improve the service. The registered manager and the provider checked all areas of the service regularly to make sure it met the standards they required. The views of people, their relatives, staff and community professionals were asked for and acted on to continually improve the service.
Staff felt supported by the registered manager and were motivated. A senior manager was always available to provide the support and guidance staff needed. Staff worked together to support people to be as independent as they wanted to be. All the staff and health care professionals we spoke with told us they would be happy for their relatives to live at Ramsgate Care Centre. Records in respect of each person were accurate, complete and kept secure.
Staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. They took time to get to know each person well and provide the care people wanted in the way they preferred. People received the care and support in the way they preferred at the end of their life.
Assessments of people’s needs and any risks had been completed and care had been planned with them, to meet their needs and preferences and keep them safe. Accidents and incidents had been analysed and to look for patterns and trends. The registered manager worked in partnership with local authority safeguarding and commissioning teams, and a clinical nurse specialist for older people and acted on their advice to develop the service and improve people’s care.
Staff knew the signs of abuse and were confident to raise any concerns they had with the registered manager or provider. People were not discriminated against and received care tailored to them. A process was in place to investigate and respond to complaints and small day to day issues had been resolved immediately to people’s satisfaction. People had enough to do during the day, including activities to keep them physically and mentally active.
Changes in people’s health were identified and people were supported to see health care professionals, including GPs and community nurses when they needed. People were offered a balanced diet of food they liked and that met their cultural needs and preferences. Staff continued to support people to be as independent as they wanted at mealtimes.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. The registered manager knew when assessments of people’s capacity to make decisions were needed. Information was available to people in a way their understood to help them make decisions and choices. Staff treated people with dignity and gave them privacy. The registered manager understood their responsibilities under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and had applied for authorisations when there was a risk that people may be deprived of their liberty to keep them safe.
There were enough staff to provide the care and support people needed when they wanted it. People were involved in recruiting new staffed safely. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks had been completed to make sure staff were suitable for their role. Staff were supported meet people’s needs and had completed the training they needed to fulfil their role.
The service was clean and staff followed infection control processes to protect people from the risk of infection. The building was well maintained and plans were in operation to maintain and improve the environment. People were able to use all areas of the building and grounds and were encouraged to make their bedroom feel homely.
The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events at that had happened at the service, so we could check that appropriate action had been taken.
Services are required to prominently display their CQC performance rating. The provider had displayed the rating in the entrance hall.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Ramsgate Care Centre provides accommodation and personal care for up to 42 older people and people living with dementia. The service is a large purpose built property. Accommodation is arranged over two floors and a lift is available to assist people to get to the upper floor. There were 40 people living at the service at the time of our inspection.
The registered manager was leading the service and was supported by an area manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the care and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At our inspection in April 2015 we found that accurate and complete records had not been maintained in relation to people’s medicines. At our inspection of August 2016 we found that some improvements had been made. At this inspection we these improvements had not been consistently maintained and accurate records had not been maintained in relation to all the medicines people received. There was a risk that information would not be available to staff and health care professionals to help them plan people’s care. The stock of one person’s medicine was inaccurate by one tablet. Other records about people’s care were accurate and complete.
At our last inspection we found that checks on the quality of the service had not been effective. At this inspection we found that checks on the quality had been completed to make sure it was at the standard the provider required. Action was taken quickly to address any shortfalls found. However, the most up to date medicines check had not identified the shortfalls we found at the inspection.
Services that provide health and social care to people are required to inform the CQC, of important events that happen in the service like a serious injury or deprivation of liberty safeguards authorisation. This is so we can check that appropriate action had been taken. The registered manager understood when CQC should be notified of significant events however we had received notifications as required.
People told us the menu was 'boring' at our last inspection. At this inspection we found that staff had planned menus with people and people were offered a balanced diet. People told us they enjoyed the food and there was a wide variety of food on offer. Meals were prepared to meet people preferences and spiritual and cultural needs.
People had privacy and staff provided the supported they needed discreetly. People were involved in planning what happened at the service. Staff and people planned the activities on offer together. People told us they had enough to do every day and were planning outings.
At our last inspection we found that some risks to people had not been assessed and action had not been taken to mitigate all risks. At this inspection we found that assessments of people’s needs and any risks to them had been completed. People had agreed ways to manage risks with staff. Their care was planned and reviewed with them, to keep them safe and help them be as independent as possible. People’s care plans had been reviewed and updated when their needs changed. People were supported to have regular health checks such as eye tests.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The registered manager had applied to the supervisory body for a DoLS authorisation when people who lacked capacity to consent were restricted. People were supported to go out and could move around the service and grounds freely. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people to make choices in all areas of their life.
Plans were in place to keep people safe in an emergency, including plans to evacuate people from the building. Staff knew the signs of possible abuse and were confident to raise concerns they had with the registered manager or the local authority safeguarding team.
Complaints received had been investigated and people had received a response to their concerns. People and their representatives were confident to raise concerns and complaints they had about the service.
At our last inspection we found that action had not been taken to seek and act on feedback people and other stakeholders. At this inspection we found that people, their relatives, staff and visiting professionals were asked for their views of the service. Everyone was satisfied with the service provided. Staff had regular opportunities to share their experiences of the service and told us the management team supported them to try new ideas they had.
The registered manager supported staff to provide a good level of care and held them accountable for their practice. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They shared the provider’s view of a good quality service and were motivated.
There were enough staff, who knew people well, to provide the support people wanted. People’s needs had been considered when deciding how many staff were required to support them at different times of the day. Staff worked as a team to meet people’s needs.
The provider had recruitment procedures in place and staff had been recruited safely. Staff had completed the training and development they needed to provide safe and effective care to people and held recognised qualifications in care. Staff met regularly with the registered manager to discuss their role and practice and were supported to provide good quality care.