Archived: Chy Koes

Updated 20 October 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

The inspection took place on 22 September 2015. The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included past reports and notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with the registered manager, the provider, one officer, one carer and the administrator. We spoke with three people who were staying at the service. We looked around the premises and observed care practices.

We looked at care documentation for three people living at Chy Koes, medicines records for four people, three staff files, training records and other records relating to the management of the service.

Following the inspection we spoke with three more people who used the service, two family members of people who used the service and two healthcare professionals who worked with the service.

Updated 20 October 2015

This inspection took place on 22 September 2015 and was an announced comprehensive inspection. We contacted the service 24 hours prior to the inspection to ensure there were currently people staying at the respite centre and that staff would be available to assist us during our inspection visit.

The last inspection took place on 24 June 2013, we had no concerns at this inspection.

Chy Koes is a respite facility which offers care and support for up to five people.  The service is registered to support older people and people with a physical disability. Chy Koes is the only respite facility managed by Cornwall Council and provides support to people from across the whole county. At the time of the inspection there were four people staying at the service for a short period of time.

The service had a registered manager in post. The current registered manager had been in post since May 2015. 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 service identified and assessed risks. However, many of the risk assessments in people’s care files were not accurate, they had not been reviewed regularly and did not contain up to date information. Emergency plans were generalised and broad and provided information that was inaccurate relating to individuals and their needs in an emergency.

We looked at how medicines were managed and administered. The medicine records showed people received their medicines as prescribed. Many of the people staying at the service managed their own medicines.

The service had identified the minimum numbers of staff required to meet people’s needs and these were being met.

Staff were supported by a system of induction training, supervision and appraisals. More specialised training specific to the needs of people using the service was being provided. Training updates were provided as required.

Staff meetings were held regularly. These allowed staff to air any concerns or suggestions they had regarding the running of the service.

Meals were appetising and people were offered a choice in line with their dietary requirements and preferences. Where necessary staff monitored what people ate to help ensure they stayed healthy.

Support plans were well organised but some contained information that was no longer accurate. The plans held staff signatures and dates which indicated they had been reviewed regularly, but information was not consistently updated and inaccurate guidance remained on people’s files.

Activities were provided on a regular basis. People told us they were able to choose how they spent their time, and they could access the local community if they wished.

The registered manager was supported by the provider on a regular basis.

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