Background to this inspection
Updated
15 January 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 was 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 8 December 2015 and was unannounced.
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert by experience. The expert by experience had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Before the inspection we checked the information we held about the service and provider. This included the notifications that the provider had sent to us about incidents at the service and information we had received from the public. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to the inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to formulate our inspection plan.
Twelve people were able to tell us their experience of life at the home. Some people declined or were unable to, so we spent time in the lounge areas and observed the interactions between people.
We spoke with the registered manager, the operations manager, the deputy manager, three members of care staff, an activity coordinator, and kitchen staff. We looked at six people’s care records, staff rosters, two staff recruitment files and the quality monitoring audits. We did this to gain people’s views about the care and to check that standards of care were being met.
Updated
15 January 2016
We inspected this service on 8 December 2015. This was an unannounced inspection. This was the service’s first inspection under their registration of a new provider.
The service was registered to provide accommodation and nursing care for up to 47 people. Some people who used the service were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 28 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
People did not always receive the care and support they required in a timely way. Staffing levels were not always sufficient to support people individually and in their preferred way.
People’s safety risks were identified and reviewed but were not always managed to ensure people’s comfort and well-being. There were times when people were at risk of harm due to staff not managing the risk in a safe and consistent way. Staffing levels were at a minimum so there were delays to people receiving the right care and support at the right time. This also meant that people’s individual care needs, support requirements and preferences were not always met.
People’s medicines were managed safely, which meant people received the medicines they needed when they needed them.
Staff were aware of the actions they needed to take if they had concerns regarding people’s safety. Procedures were in place that ensured concerns about people’s safety were appropriately reported to the registered manager and local safeguarding team.
The provider had a recruitment process in place. Staff were only employed after all essential pre-employment safety checks had been satisfactorily completed.
People were supported to make important decisions about their care and treatment. Some people who used the service were unable to make certain decisions about their care. In these circumstances the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were being followed.
Staff received training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.
People told us they enjoyed the food and were provided with suitable amounts of food and drink of their choice. Health care professionals were contacted when additional support and help was required to ensure people’s health care needs were met.
People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect however, contact with people was often limited to when people needed support with specific care tasks. Staff generally promoted people’s independence and right to privacy.
People told us they enjoyed a varied and range of social and leisure activities that were provided. These were arranged either on a one to one basis or in groups. People could choose whether they wished to participate or not and staff respected their choices.
The service had a registered manager; they were aware of the requirements of their registration with us and notified us of significant events related to care provision. Plans were in place to introduce new systems and processes so that continual improvements could be made to enhance the quality and safety of the service.