Claremont Care Home

Updated 3 October 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and 1 governance specialist on the first day, and 1 inspector and an expert by experience on the second day. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Claremont care home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Claremont care home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 13 July 2023 and ended on 26 July 2023. We visited the service on 13 July and 18 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the home. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 staff and 1 health care professional. We spoke with 7 people and 2 relatives about their views of the care provided. We reviewed the care records for 7 people, numerous medicines records, 3 staff recruitment and records related to governance systems and processes and other documentation relevant to the running of the service. 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.

Updated 3 October 2023

About the service

Claremont care home is a care home providing personal care to up to 63 people. The home provides support to older adults and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 34 people living at the home.

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

Risks were not always managed safely to ensure people were kept safe. Potential infection risks were not always managed safely. Not all care plans and risk assessments had been completed when people required measures in place to keep them safe. We found care records were not always completed or accurate. Medicines were mostly managed safely, and audits were carried. However, we found some recording issues. We could not be assured environmental checks of the home were robust. The environment was worn and areas of the home unclean.

There were a variety of audits being carried out in the home however these had not always been effective in managing the necessary improvements required from our last inspection.

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.

Systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Incidents and accidents were reported, investigated and measures taken to mitigate future occurrences. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited safely. Relatives and friends were encouraged to visit the home and spend time with their loved ones.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 15 November 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 13 and 18 July 2023.

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.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to the governance of the service.

Please see what action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.