Archived: Obelisk House

Updated 24 May 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Obelisk House is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. At the time of our inspection, 43 people were receiving this type of service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

This was an unannounced inspection.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service, including information within the Provider Information Return (PIR). 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 looked at other information received from the provider, such as statutory notifications about incidents and events the provider must notify us about. We also sought feedback from other professionals who work with the service. We took this information into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection we spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives to gain their views about the support they received. We spoke with seven staff members that included the area manager, the registered manager, the chef and four care and support staff. We also had discussions with a visiting health professional.

We looked at the care and review records for four people who used the service and three staff training and recruitment records. We examined other records relating to the management of the service that included medicines management, incident and accident monitoring, auditing systems and complaints.

Updated 24 May 2019

About the service:

Obelisk House is a residential care home that is registered to provide personal care for up to 44 older people including those living with dementia. The accommodation was all on one level making it accessible to people with physical disabilities.

People’s experience of using this service:

• Although there were sufficient staff to meet people’s basic needs, people said staff did not always have time to spend with them.

• People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination.

• Risks to people’s safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks.

• The recruitment practices ensured only suitable staff worked at the service.

• Peoples medicines were safely managed.

• Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.

• People’s needs and choices were assessed before they went to live at the service.

• Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.

• People were supported to maintain good nutrition and hydration.

• Staff supported people to live healthier lives and access healthcare services.

• People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

• Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect.

• People were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care.

• People and their relatives were involved in the care planning and reviews of their care.

• Systems were in place to continuously monitor the quality of the service.

• The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.

Inspection Rating:

There has been a change of legal entity for this service so this was a first comprehensive inspection under the new provider. Therefore, the service had no previous rating. At this inspection we found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas. More information is available in the full report.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.