Archived: Peartree House Care Home

Updated 20 September 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 3, 9, 10 and 14 June 2016 and was unannounced. One inspector and an expert-by-experience visited on the first inspection day. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. Two inspectors visited on the second day and one inspector visited on the third and fourth day. Before the inspection we looked at information we already held about the service. This included details about its registration, previous inspection reports and notifications the provider had sent us.

During the inspection we spoke with three people using the service, three relatives, two visiting health professionals and the host local authority to gain their views about the service. We spoke with ten members of staff including the regional manager, registered manager, a team leader, four care staff, an activities co-ordinator, a cook and a member of the housekeeping staff.

We observed care and support in communal areas and 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 care and management records which included policies and procedures, medicines records, training records, four staff files, five care files, quality assurance and maintenance records.

Updated 20 September 2016

This inspection was unannounced and was carried out over four days on 3, 9, 10 and 14 June 2016.

At the last inspection completed on 9 March 2015, the service was asked to improve their systems to check and maintain the safety and suitability of the building and there was no registered manager in post.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manager 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.

At this inspection there was a registered manager at the home. However improvements had not been made to the maintenance of the environment.

Peartree House is a care home that provides residential care for people living with dementia. It is registered for 55 people. At the time of inspection there were 34 people using the service.

We found safety issues around the outside garden area of the building and we asked the service to take immediate action. There were also areas within the building that were in need of maintenance and refurbishment. The auditing systems were not effective because the provider had failed to take action in a timely manner on areas of concern identified by these checks.

People and their relatives felt the service was safe and staff were skilled in giving care. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding and whistleblowing. The service had safe recruitment practices and there were enough staff to support people with their needs. Staff received training opportunities and new staff received an induction programme of training. Staff also received regular supervisions and appraisals. Medicines were managed safely. People had an assessment of their needs and risk management plans were in place to mitigate risks.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s dietary requirements and people had a choice of food and fluids from a varied and nutritious menu. People had access to healthcare professionals as they required it. Staff knew how to deliver personalised care and were knowledgeable about people’s preferences. There was a variety of activities on offer which included activities away from the home.

The service worked within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff were knowledgeable about when they needed to obtain consent from people and about how to maintain people’s privacy and dignity whilst maintaining their independence.

The provider had systems in place to check the quality of service provided. People and their representatives were able to give feedback through quality surveys and meetings. Staff attended regular team meetings to receive updates and guidance on giving effective care.

We found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.