12 July 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Victoria House Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 43 people. At the time of our inspection 37 people were living at Victoria House Residential Home. The home has two floors, with bedrooms on both the ground and upper floor, with three shared communal lounges and dining rooms.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems and processes used by the provider to monitor and improve the service were in place but needed strengthening then embedding into practice. Environmental risks relating to safety checks had not been promptly carried out. Accident and incidents were monitored, however, recording of action taken required strengthening and improvement to ensure lessons were learnt.
People received medicines by staff who were suitably knowledgeable and trained. We found that medicines prescribed to thicken people’s drinks were not safely stored. When people were prescribed medicines on a 'when required basis' (PRN), guidance was available to help staff give them these medicines however they were not in line with how they had been prescribed.
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.
Staff were recruited in line with regulatory requirements to ensure only suitable staff worked
in the service.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) systems were in place. The home was visibly clean; however, we identified some IPC issues which were addressed shortly after the inspection.
Staff were confident in reporting concerns internally and to external organisations. Staff felt supported by the registered manager, who they found to be approachable and visible in the service.
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 good (published 05 March 2019).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to the recruitment and selection of staff. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Victoria House Residential Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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 good governance.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.