18th August 2015
During an inspection looking at part of the service
This was a focussed unannounced inspection that took place on the 18th August 2015.
This service was last inspected on the 27th January and 11th February 2015. At this inspection we found that there was a breach of Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 because appropriate arrangements were not in place to demonstrate that people received all their medicines appropriately.
The above regulations have now been replaced with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection we found that the home was no longer in breach of any of the above regulations and met all of the 2014 Regulations.
Following our last inspection we had requested and received an action plan outlining the measures put in place to ensure people received their medicines appropriately and in line with their prescription.
We undertook this focused inspection on the 18th August 2015 to check if the provider had followed their plan and taken action in response to concerns we identified during our comprehensive inspection.
Prior to this inspection visit we had received an anonymous concern regarding the attitude of some support workers towards people they were supporting. During this inspection we observed how staff cared for and interacted with the people living in Applegarth.
We inspected the service against two of the five questions we ask about services: is the service safe and is the service caring. This report only covers our findings in relation to these topics. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Applegarth Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Applegarth Nursing Home (Applegarth) is a care home with nursing, registered to provide accommodation for up to 53 people with a variety of needs. The home is divided into three units, one providing care for frail elderly people, some of whom may have various forms of dementia and the other two providing care for younger people with highly complex needs. Accommodation throughout the home is provided on two floors with access to the second floor by a passenger lift or stairs. There is some car parking space available for visitors.
The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection visit. 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.
The provider had policies and procedures in place to protect people from harm or the threat of abuse. We observed warm caring interactions between people and the staff who cared for and supported them. This evidenced people were comfortable and relaxed in their surroundings. Staff had completed training in safeguarding vulnerable adults.
We saw that people’s privacy and dignity were preserved at all times.
We saw that care/support plans were detailed and up to date. We saw that risks were identified and risk assessments completed.
Staff had completed training in the protection of vulnerable people and we discussed this with the staff on duty.
We found there was sufficient staff on duty to meet the assessed needs of the people who lived in Applegarth.
We found that medicines were administered correctly and in line with peoples’ prescriptions. Records of medicines administration were correct and up to date.