16 March 2016
During a routine inspection
The home had a manager in place who was in the process of registering with us. 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.
We found that people did not consistently receive support from staff who knew them well and staff were not always aware of some people’s support needs. Consent to care was not always sought in line with legislation and guidance. Some people did not have the capacity to make certain decisions, and it was not always clear how decisions had been made in their best interest or who had been consulted.
We found that people were not always cared for in a dignified, compassionate way, and there were times when their privacy was not respected. There was a lack of consistency in involving people with decisions and the planning of their care.
People did not consistently receive care that was individual to them and responsive to their needs. Opportunities for people to follow their interests and engage in activities varied.
There was a lack of consistency in the leadership and management across the units, and people told us that the quality of the staff varied. Care records were not always up to date and accurate and this made it difficult for staff to be clear about people’s support needs.
People told us they felt safe living there and staff understood how to protect people from harm and abuse. Risks were managed and there were sufficient staff to keep people safe. Medicines were managed so people received them safely and as prescribed. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and have access to healthcare services when needed.
People told us and we observed that some staff were kind, caring and compassionate. We also saw that some staff responded well to people’s needs and engaged positively with them. People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and we saw that the provider had addressed complaints in a timely manner.
Staff told us that the availability of training had increased and the quality of the induction had improved. Some staff had received supervision sessions and we saw that this had been planned for others.
We saw that the provider had implemented some changes since the manager had been appointed. A recruitment drive was in progress to increase the numbers of permanent staff; work was in progress to improve the quality of the care records; regular quality audits had been introduced; and opportunities for people to share their experiences had been implemented.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.