Archived: Walnut Close

Updated 20 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Walnut Close is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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 inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before this inspection we reviewed the information we already held about the service. This included notifications sent to us by the provider. Notifications are information about specific incidents that the service is required to tell us about. We also reviewed information the provider sent to us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we spoke to eight people and three relatives about their experience. We spoke to six members of staff, including care staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of documents, including four care plans, two staff files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 20 December 2019

About the service

Walnut Close is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 31 people, aged 65 and over, at the time of the inspection. The service provided care in one adapted building split into three wings. One of the wings specialised in providing care to people living with dementia. This service can support up to 35 people.

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

We found the provider to be in breach of four regulations, these were in relation to the need for consent, premises and equipment, person-centred care and good governance.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

People told us staff did not always come quickly when they used the call bell. We observed that call bells had at times been left out of reaching distance for people. This meant people were not always able to access support when they required it.

Medicines were not always stored safely. Systems for monitoring expiry dates of creams were not always effective and the service did not always monitor the storage of medicines effectively.

People and relatives told us they felt safe at the service. Staff received training in safeguarding and felt confident to raise safeguarding concerns if required.

People told us they had concerns about their bedrooms being in disrepair. We observed the service was not decorated in line with best practice guidance and areas of the home were in poor condition.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink, however feedback we received about the quality of food was mixed.

People were assessed prior to moving into the service. These assessments were used to make personalised care plans for people. People were assisted to access other health and social care services and community provisions.

Care staff treated people kindly and with respect. People and their relatives told us they liked the care staff and were happy with the care they provided.

People told us there was not enough to do at Walnut Close, people told us this made them feel bored and isolated. The service did not restrict visiting times and relatives told us they were always made to feel welcome when they visited.

The service completed a range of audits to assess and improve quality at the service. However, several shortfalls identified on this inspection had not been picked up by these processes. The registered manager kept up to date with best practice and legislation. People and staff told us the management team were approachable.

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 31 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches of four regulations, these were in relation to the need for consent, premises and equipment, person-centred care and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.