Aran Court Care Home

Updated 10 August 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 two inspectors, a specialist nurse advisor with extensive knowledge and experience in many fields including older person's care and dementia and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The inspectors and specialist nurse visited the home on 26 May 2021. On 27 May the lead inspector visited the home and the Expert by Experience made telephone calls to relatives.

Service and service type

Aran Court 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the provider, acting manager, area manager, regional manager, care workers and seniors. 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.

We looked at eight people's care records to see how their care was planned and delivered, including pre-assessment records and risk assessments. Other records we looked at included accident and incident records, safeguarding, complaints and compliments. We also looked at staff scheduling records, management of medication and the provider's audits, quality assurance, infection control procedures and overview information about the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at safeguarding and quality assurance records.

Updated 10 August 2021

About the service

Aran Court is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is registered to provide accommodation and nursing care for up to 86 older people. There were 54 people living in the home at the time of our inspection visit.

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

We found a number of issues identified with the management of sharps. Several sharp containers were not signed for when brought into use and not disposed of within a timely manner.

We found in one of the medicine rooms, the stock medication was not appropriately stored in a locked cabinet. There was a suitable lock attached to the doors however this was not being used and the doors were held closed by a rubber band.

We found care records reviewed did not always have relevant information in order to confirm when changes occurred to people’s health conditions. We found reviews of care were not being undertaken with people or relatives. In addition, we found some people's care records did not consistently demonstrate that risk assessments were being followed.

The provider had safeguarding systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Staff knew the risks to people and followed the assessments to ensure they met people's needs. People felt safe and were supported by staff who knew how to protect them from avoidable harm.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff followed the infection control procedures the provider had in place.

Risks to people's health and well-being had been assessed and monitored to ensure they were kept safe. People received their medication as prescribed.

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.

Staff spoke positively about working for the provider. They felt well supported and that they could talk to the management team at any time, feeling confident any concerns would be acted on promptly. They felt valued and happy in their role.

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

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection we rated Aran Court as 'Requires Improvement' (report published 13 June 2019). At this inspection the overall rating has remained as 'Requires Improvement.'

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation the management of safeguarding incidents. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-Led only. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. Please see the Safe and Well-Led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Aran Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.