Archived: Cressington Court Care Home

We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask;

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well led?

Is the service safe?

During the inspection we did not observe any environmental areas of the home that gave us cause for concern in relation to people's safety although we saw that a wheelchair was used to transport a person living at the home incorrectly, i.e. without footplates. This meant that the potential for the person in the chair to sustain an injury to their foot was increased.

Electronic falls monitoring equipment was used to alert staff where there was a risk of a person falling. We also saw that low beds were available to reduce the risks of injury to people living at the home who may be at risk of falling from bed.

The manager was available on call in case of emergencies and to provide advice and support out of hours.

Is the service effective?

We had conducted this inspection in response to concerns that had been raised with us. The records that we looked at demonstrated that people living at the home were receiving care that reflected their needs. For people who were required to have their fluid intake and output monitored the guidance in place was recorded on individualised documents and their recommended fluid intake had been individually calculated.

For people who had specialist feeding tubes in place there was also an individualised set of guidance to support their care.

Is the service caring?

During our inspection people living at the home were settled and a person living at the home told us that they had a condition that needed specific care, but the staff were very good about learning how to provide support in a way that was suited to them. One person living at the home told us that they were very happy living at the home and enjoyed their food. Another person told us that they were also enjoying their meal and another showed us their bedroom and told us how they were pleased to be living there.

We observed that people were spoken to respectfully and an anonymous contact to CQC had told us that ''Staff are caring''

Is the service responsive?

People's needs were assessed before they moved into the home and records confirmed people's preferences, interests and health needs were recorded. We saw that when peoples needs changed they had been referred appropriately to the relevant health professionals such as the G.P. chiropodist and dietician. A visitor told us that their relative had experienced a delay in being visited by a chiropodist and the records confirmed this, although a referral had been made. The manager explained that this was due to the busy schedules of the health service providing the service but that they would follow this up.

Is the service well led?

The home had a manager in post. However, at the time of the inspection the individual had not yet made an application with the Care Quality Commission to become registered for the role, although they told us it was their intention to do so. Having a registered manager in post helps to ensure that the individual is of good character, has suitable experience, skills and qualifications and is physically and mentally fit to carry on the regulated activity.

Concerns had been expressed to us about the management of the home in the absence of the manager. During the inspection people we spoke with told us that now the manager had returned they were reassured.

Cressington Court care home provided people who used the service and their families with sufficient and appropriate information about their support and treatment to enable them to make informed decisions about their care. People's needs were assessed and, where

appropriate, people were consulted and involved in the planning of their care.

During our previous inspection we had concerns over the management and recording of safeguarding incidents. We found during this inspection, that improvements had been made relating to the recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents.

During our visit we found evidence that some of the people who used the service had not been cared for safely and effectively and that the provider did not always report incidents regarding the safety and welfare of the people who lived at Cressington Court to the appropriate authorities.

People were not protected from the risk of abuse because the registered manager did not take reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and did not respond appropriately to allegations of abuse.

Although sufficient numbers of staff were provided, the home did not have effective recruitment and selection processes in place to ensure that staff were fit for their role. Also the home was using a large number of agency staff who had limited knowledge and experience of the people they were caring for.

We found that there were insufficient systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service or identify and manage risks to the health, welfare and safety of people who used the service.