Background to this inspection
Updated
18 May 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.
This inspection took place on 8 and 13 January 2015, and was unannounced. The inspection was conducted by two inspectors, a specialist advisor with experience in the care and treatment of people living with dementia and an expert by expert experience whose experience is in supporting someone living with dementia. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.
We spoke with 18 people who used the service, seven relatives, four nurses and one trainee nurse, four care staff, the activities coordinator, four visiting health professionals, four cleaning and laundry staff, the registered manager, the deputy manager, the provider’s area manager and the quality manager. We also observed how care was being provided in communal areas of the home.
We looked at the care records for nine people who used the service and reviewed the provider’s recruitment processes. We also looked at the training information for all the staff employed by the service and information on how the provider assessed and monitored the quality of the service provided. We reviewed an action plan that the manager had prepared following a review by the local authority. We also had discussions with the local authority and a representative from the local clinical commissioning group (CCG).
Updated
18 May 2015
We carried out this inspection on 8 and 13 January 2015, and it was unannounced.
The service provides accommodation, care and treatment for up 80 people who have a range of care needs including living with dementia, chronic conditions and physical disabilities. The home is spread over three floors, with people living with chronic conditions being cared for on the ground floor, a rehabilitation service on the first floor and a service for people living with dementia on the second floor. There were 51 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.
The service has a registered manager. 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.
There were risk assessments in place that gave guidance to the staff on how risks could be minimised. There were systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of harm.
People’s medicines were not always administered in a timely manner.
The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there were sufficient staff to support people safely. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
The staff had supervision and support, but the training provided was not always effective to enable them to support people well.
People were supported to have sufficient food and drinks in a caring and respectful manner. They were also supported to access other health and social care services when required.
People’s needs had been assessed, and care plans took account of people’s individual needs, preferences, and choices.
The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They encouraged feedback from people and acted on the comments received to improve the quality of the service.
The registered manager provided stable leadership and managerial oversight. The provider’s quality monitoring processes had not always been used effectively to drive improvements.