Romford Grange Care Home

Romford Grange care home is a residential care home which was providing nursing and or personal care to 40 people at the time of our inspection. All people living at the service were older people, some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 41 people in one adapted building over two floors.

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

People were kept safe from the risk of abuse as staff were trained to identify concerns and the providers had processes in place to record and share information with statutory bodies. Risks to people were assessed, monitored and managed. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs. Recruitment processes were robust. Medicines were managed in a safe way by nurses who were trained, and competency checked. Effective infection prevention control measures were in place. Lessons were learned when things went wrong as incidents were recorded and actions completed to keep people safe.

The provider had adapted the building to ensure it met people’s needs. However, the premises required some maintenance and redecoration. The provider was aware of this and had planned to complete this before the end of 2023.

People were assessed in line with the law before being admitted to the service, this was so the provider could be assured the service could meet people’s needs. Staff received induction and training, so they knew how to work effectively with people. Staff were further supported in their role through supervision. People were supported to eat, drink and maintain healthy diets and people were positive about the dining experience. Staff communicated effectively with other agencies, including health care services, to ensure people received good care. 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. People’s capacity to make decisions were recorded, their wishes respected, and they were provided with choices about their daily lives.

People and relatives thought staff were caring. People were supported to express their views. People’s privacy and dignity were respected, and their independence promoted.

Care plans were person-centred, and staff knew what people liked. People’s communication needs were met. People were able to take part in activities provided by the service. People and relatives were provided with information about how to complain and when they did, complaints were responded to appropriately. The service recorded people’s end of life wishes and people and relatives were treated with respect and dignity when people approached the end of their lives.

A positive person-centred culture was promoted within the service. People, relatives, and staff thought highly of the management. The registered manager understood duty of candour and acted appropriately when it was felt the service could do better. Staff understood their roles and the registered manager fulfilled the service’s regulatory requirements. People, relatives, and staff were able to be engaged and involved with the service through meetings and surveys. Quality assurance systems monitored care so there was the potential for it to be improved. The service worked with other agencies to the benefit of people using the service.

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 the service was good published on 16 May 2022.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns raised about how the service was being managed. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Romford Grange Care Home is a care home registered to accommodate and support up to 41 elderly people with personal and nursing care. At the time of our inspection, 28 people were living at the home. The service is a two-floor building. Each floor has separate adapted facilities.

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

Care plans contained suitable and sufficient risk assessments to effectively manage risks and help keep people safe. Pre-employment checks had been carried out to ensure staff were suitable to support people. Staff were aware on how to safeguard people from abuse. There were appropriate numbers of staff to support people when required. Medicines were being managed safely. Systems were in place to minimise the spread of infections.

Systems were in place for quality assurance and quality monitoring to ensure people received high quality care.

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 21 July 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

We found the following examples of good practice.

Visits for relatives and friends had been stopped a week before the inspection. Visiting professionals were required to arrange an appointment for specific days. They were required declare if they had any symptoms of COVID-19 and their temperatures were checked to minimise the potential of infection being brought into the home. They also had to complete a declaration form to declare symptoms or if they had travelled abroad.

The provider had made appropriate arrangements to test people and staff for COVID-19 and was following government guidance on regular testing. Measures were in place to ensure the safety of staff and people should they had tested positive for COVID-19.

Staff had received appropriate training and support to manage COVID-19. Staff had received training on COVID-19, infection control and the use of Protective Personal Equipment (PPE). Systems were in place to support staff if they became unwell and when they returned to work.

Measures were in place to ensure adequate supplies of PPE. We observed staff wearing PPE and supporting people to maintain social distancing. Furniture had been rearranged to support social distancing.

Staff took people’s temperatures twice daily to check they had not developed symptoms. If temperatures went above expected readings, measures were in place to ensure people self-isolated.

The management team carried out weekly infection control audits to ensure risks associated with infections were minimised. A cleaning schedule was in place and we observed the home was clean and tidy with particular emphasis on cleaning and sanitising regular touch points, such as door handles and light switches.