30 September 2020
During an inspection looking at part of the service
West Cliff Hall is a care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 59 older people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people accommodated and one person receiving respite care. Accommodation is arranged over three floors with stair and lift access to all areas.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service had systems and processes in place for the safe storage, administration and use of medicines. However, these processes were not always followed. Infection control procedures were not always effectively implemented. We received mixed views on the level of staffing but the manager reported that agency staff were block booked to help manage shortfalls. People were safeguarded from abuse. The majority of comments from people using the service and relatives were positive. People felt safe and that they were well looked after.
Improvements were needed in record keeping around staff training and competency to administer medication. Regular quality audits were carried out which identified improvements needed but these were not always actioned effectively. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and were positive about working at West Cliff Hall. The new manager was working to improve communication and working practices with other agencies.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The last rating for this service was Good (published 25 January 2018)
Why we inspected
We looked at infection prevention and control measures. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We received concerns in relation to medicines, person centred care and infection control practices. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for West Cliff Hall on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement
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.
We have identified one breach in relation to safe care and treatment at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
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.