Gencare Care Home

Gencare is a newly built residential care home which started trading in May 2022. Gencare is registered to provide care to up to 5 people with a physical disability and sensory impairments. At the time of inspection there were 3 people receiving care.

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

We have made one recommendation regarding closed cultures.

People did not benefit from consistent leadership. There had been frequent changes of registered managers over the last 12 months. As a result, there was a lack of internal management oversight in addition to the external oversight provided by a consulting company.

We were not confident the management arrangements at the home were appropriate. The provider overly relied on a consulting company for oversight. A registered manager was required on site to make operational decisions, to lead and model the implementation of relevant practice.

The systems in place to monitor and evaluate the service were not effective. We established from records that incidents had been documented, however, they had not been sufficiently analysed and measures taken to minimise further occurrences.

Training records were not fully complete. However, following the inspection, we received evidence showing relevant staff had received refresher training and further dates for training had been scheduled.

Whilst the provider shared evidence to show action was now being taken, it is of concern that gaps had not been identified sooner. This failure suggests the providers own quality assurance processes were not sufficiently robust to protect people using the service from harm.

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 were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. There were effective systems and processes in place to minimise risks. Care workers had been recruited safely and they knew how to identify and report concerns.

People received person centred care. Their assessments showed they had been involved in the assessment process.

People were protected from the risks associated with poor infection control because the service had processes in place to reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 22 February 2023 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. However, following the first visit, we were notified of 4 falls incidents that may have resulted in an injury to the person. This prompted the second visit. The incidents were subject to initial inquiries to determine whether to commence a criminal investigation. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incidents. However, the information shared with CQC about the incidents indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of falls from moving and handling equipment. This inspection examined those risks.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to risk assessments and a lack of an effective quality assurance system.

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.