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Inspection on 15/12/09 for The Croft Unit

Also see our care home review for The Croft Unit for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 15th December 2009.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: The Croft Unit The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 2 4 0 2 2 0 0 9 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 review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Michele Etherton Date of this annual service review: 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 7 Information about the service Address of service: 25-29 Ashburnham Road Hastings East Sussex TN35 5JN 01424434921 01424435895 kiincraft@craegmoor.co.uk www.craegmoor.co.uk Parkcare Homes Ltd Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : mental disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia Conditions of registration: Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 12 0 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 12 The registered person may provide the following category/ies of service only: Care home only - PC to service users of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Mental Disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia - MD Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service The Croft Units are registered to accommodate younger adults with a pre senile dementia type illness. The property is detached and is set in a residential area of Hastings. The property is on four floors and the first two floors are registered as Kilncroft, a home for older people with a dementia type illness. The top two floors are separately registered as the Croft Units. Both homes operate independently of each other although there is only one registered manager. The whole building is owned by Parkcare Homes Limited, which in turn is owned by Craegmoor Healthcare Limited. The Annual Service Review Page 2 of 7 2 4 0 2 2 0 0 9 home is registered for 12 service users. The home has local shops and amenities close by, and is approximately one-mile form the centre of Hastings. The current range of fees are from £450 to £550 per week Annual Service Review Page 3 of 7 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection or annual service review. This included: The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. Information we may have about how the service has managed any complaints. Surveys returned to us by residents and staff using the service and other stakeholders we may have asked to comment. What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous key inspection. Relevant information from other organisations. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The home sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. It was clear and gave us some of the information we asked for. The AQAA would benefit from the inclusion of additional detail to illustrate the day to day operation of the home, reflection on identified strengths and weaknesses and how the service intends to address shortfalls, particularly those highlighted through the inspection process. We looked at the information in the AQAA and at the information we have received about the service since the last inspection; it is our judgement that the home is still providing a good service, and that they have insight into some of the further improvements they need to make. The AQAA tells us that at the time of its completion the home has made improvements to the admission process for new residents. Forums are in place so that suggestions and ideas made by residents can be heard and in some instances acted upon, however, the AQAA does not make clear the types of issues residents have raised and the actions taken by the home. We are informed that some residents have indicated an interest in walking a staff members dog that they are familiar with, and opportunities for them to do so have been provided on a regular basis each week. The AQAA further informs us that previously identified shortfalls in staff recruitment documentation has been addressed with a more robust interview and selection process Annual Service Review Page 4 of 7 implemented. This includes the sitting of literacy tests by new staff applicants. More staff have gained NVQ qualifications enhancing the skills of a well motivated team. The AQAA informs us that in response to concerns about odour and carpet cleansing an improved carpet cleaning machine has been purchased and cleaning schedules and the products used revised, however when we inspected in February this had not been as effective as hoped and we issued a requirement in regard to odour control, cleaning regimes and the need to replace some carpeting. As part of this review we have contacted the home manager who assures us that this has now been addressed. The people who live in the home like to be referred to as Residents, we have surveyed them as well as staff to seek their views on service quality, although responses received have been limited, those who took the time to do so indicated an overall satisfaction with the service received, although specific comments highlight some mixed views. Some residents expressed very positive views about the standard of food they enjoy and the attitudes and friendliness of the staff, their comments also indicate residents are being offered opportunities to access facilities in the local community and would like more of this. When we asked residents to tell us what they thought the home does well they commented: I am always given my favourite food and we go out to the shop daily. Everything Food well gives us smokes, food is good, fish and chips out, getting to sleep in my bed I love the food and takeaway on Friday I like it here I like staff theyre friendly When we asked if there is anything the home could do better, residents reported: cook better dinners Were waiting for our refurbishment A new TV in the lounge We also received survey comments from staff, who commented positively on the work of the unit and clearly take pride and a great deal of personal satisfaction in providing a good level of service to the residents, staff report that: We work in lovely units and its a lovely and relaxed environment We enjoy trying to promote their independence Annual Service Review Page 5 of 7 We do well to support and encourage our service users as individuals We create a well balanced environment I enjoy my job at Croft unit. The residents make for an interesting and enjoyable occupation and my colleagues are a pleasure to work alongside The positive work of the unit is somewhat undermined by the continued poor quality of the environment, staff also comment on the need for this to improve, they tell us: We would do well with overdue refurbishment to start ASAP, this would have a positive effect on both staff and service users and create a better home and work place for everyone. Get on with the refurb look forward to the refurb We have made known our concerns to the manager that although plans have been put in place to refurbish the environment, we are disappointed at the delays in implementing the planned improvements, and we have requested confirmation of the date when this will now commence. Apart from this staff tell us they feel well supported and enjoy working with their team members. The home continues to let us know about things that have happened since our last key inspection and they have shown that they have managed issues well. They work well with us and have shown us that their service continues to provide generally good outcomes for the people who use it. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We are not going to change our inspection plan, and will do a key inspection by 23rd February 2011. However we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 6 of 7 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. 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