Camden Care Home

About the service

Camden Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care. At the time of the inspection there was 16 adults using the service. Some were living with dementia. The service can support up to 18 adults. The accommodation is over two floors with communal areas provided on the ground floor.

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

People were not always protected against the spread of infection. Staff were not always following infection control policies and procedures. People were not always protected from risks. Environmental and individual risks, were not always assessed, to ensure appropriate action to minimise risks was taken. Governance arrangements did not provide assurance that the service was well-led.

People were happy with the support they received but all staff spoken with told us the staffing levels were not sufficient during the day. The provider addressed this in consultation with the staff.

People told us they liked the staff and felt safe with them. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team. Staff had received training and understood the procedure to follow to protect people from abuse. Staff followed people’s care plans and had received training. Staff who administered medicines were trained to support people and medicines were managed safely .The recruitment practices in place showed that appropriate checks were completed before staff started work.

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 on 27/09/2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to infection control procedures, a lack of equipment, staffing levels and the overall management of the home. 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 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.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion, were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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.

About the service

Camden Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 18 older and younger adults, some living with dementia. The service is provided in one adapted building, over two floors. At the time of the inspection 17 people were using the service.

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

People received safe and effective care, as sufficient staff were available to support them. People were safeguarded from harm, as staff were trained and understood their role in reporting any concerns to protect people. People were supported to take their medicines on time and in their preferred way. Risk assessments were undertaken to enable identified risks to be minimised and keep people safe. Recruitment checks were done before staff started work. Cleaning schedules and control measures were in place to minimise the risk of infections.

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. When people were unable to make decisions independently; their capacity was assessed to ensure that decisions were made in their best interests. People were supported to eat a healthy balanced diet, that met their dietary needs and preferences. People had access to healthcare services and were supported to keep well. Staff received training to develop their skills and knowledge and meet people's needs.

People received support from staff who knew them well and understood their preferences and interests. Information was available in an accessible format to aid people’s understanding. People’s care plans were reviewed regularly and included their preferences on how their care should be delivered. People knew how to raise concerns about the service and these were addressed following the provider’s procedure.

People and their visitors knew who the manager was and were confident that the home was managed well. Quality monitoring systems were in place and effective in driving improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 24/07/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.