Inspecting for better lives Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Romney House Romney House 11 Westwood Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 9BR three star excellent service The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full assessment of the service. We call this a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed inspection. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Malcolm Kippax Date: 2 9 0 1 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Romney House Romney House 11 Westwood Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 9BR 01225753952 01225753952 romneyhouse@hotmail.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Ms Anita Hampson,Mrs Renate Wesley,Mr Gary Wesley care home 20 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 20 old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home 0 Romney House provides care and accommodation for up to 20 people who are over 65 years of age. The accommodation is on two floors and a passenger lift is available. There are bedrooms on the ground and first floors and each person has their own room. The communal rooms consist of a reception area, a lounge, a dining room, and two conservatories. Information about the home is provided in a Statement of Purpose and a Service Users guide. Copies of inspection reports are available at the home and these can also be seen on the Commissions website at www.csci.org.uk Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 7 What we found:
We made an unannounced visit to Romney House on 29th January 2009 at 10.30am. We spent over two hours in the home. Before we visited the home we knew that the providers had not paid their annual registration fees when these were due. Nonpayment of fees is an offence under the Care Standards Act 2000. We had written to the providers about this, and spoken to Ms A. Hampson, who is also the homes manager. However they did not reassure us that the fees would be paid. Ms Hampson had also told us about financial problems that the home was facing, but said that these were not having an impact on the people who used the service. Our enforcement team is responding to the non-payment of fees. We were concerned about the financial difficulties and thought that it was also important to visit the home and look at the outcome for the people who used the service. The last inspection of the home was in December 2006. When we arrived at the home we met with one of the care assistants, who said that she was in charge. We were told that one of the managers would normally have been in the home, but they were attending a funeral. We checked who was working at the time. We saw four care staff, two domestic staff, and a cook. Their names and times of working were recorded on a written rota. The care assistant said that this was how staff were usually deployed and there had been no changes recently. The care assistant in charge said that there were no staff vacancies, and that some new staff had recently been recruited. We were told that 18 people were currently receiving care in the home, and that there had been 15 people in June 2008. We discussed the day to day arrangements with the care assistant, who described the home as running very smoothly. We went around the communal areas, accompanied by the care assistant. These areas felt warm and they looked clean. There was a lot of information displayed in the front hall that would be of interest to the people who lived in the home, and to their visitors. There were also certificates displayed, including one for employers liability insurance. This covered the period 26.01.09 - 25.01.10. We saw two bathrooms, which had hydraulic chairs installed to assist people in and out of the bath. They had labels which showed that the chairs had last been serviced in August 2008, and that the next service was due in January 2009. The care assistant did not know whether the next service had been arranged and said that she would follow this up with the manager. Regular servicing is necessary to help ensure that the chairs are maintained in a safe condition for the people who use them. There was a passenger lift between floors, which the care assistant said was operating normally. The care assistant said that she was not aware of any current maintenance problems, and that items in need of attention or replacement were dealt with without undue delay. We were told that a microwave oven had just stopped working and the care assistant said that she was confident that it would be replaced quickly. We had planned to look at the servicing records for the lift, and for other facilities such Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 7 as gas and electric, but were told that the managers kept these. Several records that would be needed in the home on a daily basis were available. We looked at the homes fire log book, which showed that the fire precaution systems had been serviced in October 2008. We met with the cook who was preparing lunch. She said that the home shopped locally and used good quality ingredients. The cook did not manage a food budget, but requested the items that were needed for the meals. She said that she received these without a problem. We talked to people during the visit, including somebodys close relative who was visiting at the time. The relative said that they visited regularly and was made to feel welcome. People said that the home was kept warm and that they enjoyed the meals. One person was using a hearing aid but it was not working as well as it should do. The care assistant confirmed that this would be followed up. Somebody else said that they liked to go out into the town centre, and they had a motorised scooter that was kept at the home. They said that they were also appreciative of lifts, particularly when the weather was not so good. We were told that the home used to have a minibus for outings, but that this was no longer available to people. With the care assistant, we talked to the person about other means of transport that might be possible. The care assistant said that they would look into this further with the person concerned. There were no new requirements made as a result of this visit. What the care home does well: What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 7 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes R No £ Outstanding statutory requirements These requirements were set at the last inspection. They may not have been looked at during this inspection, as a random inspection is short and focussed. The registered person must take the necessary action to comply with these requirements within the timescales set.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action 1 30 18(1)(c)(i) The home must introduce an 01/04/2007 induction programme for newly appointed which meets the criteria laid down by the skills council for care Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 7 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection
Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service.
No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 7 Reader Information
Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report CSCI General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Older People can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 0845 015 0120 or 0191 233 3323 Textphone: 0845 015 2255 or 0191 233 3588 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CSCI copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 7 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!
