Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Amathea Care Centre Newlands Lane Workington Cumbria CA14 3JG one star adequate service 01/10/2008 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 review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. 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: Nancy Saich Date: 2 4 0 4 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Amathea Care Centre Newlands Lane Workington Cumbria CA14 3JG 01325351100 0190063269 amathea@schealthcare.co.uk www.southerncrosshealthcare.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Sharronn Miller Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Trinity Care Limited care home 40 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 40 0 dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: 20 0 40 The registered person may provide the following categories of service only. Care home with Nursing - Code N To people of the following gender: Either Whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Old age, not falling within any other category - Code OP Dementia - Code DE (maximum number of places: 20) Physical disability - Code PD The maximum number of people who can be accommodated is: 40 Date of last inspection 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 8 Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 10 Brief description of the care home Amathea is owned by Trinity Care Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Cross Health Care Ltd. Southern Cross owns a number of residential care homes throughout Britain. The home is managed by Sharronn Miller and she is registered with the Care Quality Commission. The house is a new purpose built nursing home for people in the categories listed above. The home is situated in a residential area of Workington and is in easy reach of all the amenities of the town. The town has both bus and rail connections. The home has its own secure garden and parking to the front of the property. Accomodation is in single, ensuite rooms and is on two floors. The top floor is for people with dementia and the ground floor for older adults and people with physical disability. Further details can be accessed from the manager or from the company. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 10 What we found:
We visited Amathea on Friday 24th April as a response to an anonymous letter we had received detailing concerns about the service. We have also written to Southern Cross with a copy of the letter as they may want to look further into some of the details. We looked at four outcome areas that were mentioned by the anonymous complainant. 1) Health and Personal Care 2)Complaints and Protection 3)Staffing 4)Management. We looked at a range of documents that are required to be kept by law. These included individual files of people who live in the home; their care plans, risk assessments, daily notes and audits completed by management and staff on the way personal care is received. We also looked at the logs that must be kept on complaints received and adult safeguarding reported. We looked at current and past rosters and time sheets for staff. We checked on a number of individual staff files with particular emphasis on recruitment, training, disciplinary actions, supervision and appraisal. We looked at a number of documents that record the various systems in place for managing the home. These included routine data collected by Southern Cross that make up their Quality Management system. We also looked at audits and checks completed by middle management in the organisation. We arrived at 8.00 a.m and spoke to night nurses and carers. We also observed nurses and carers on both units working with residents, working together as a team and carrying out routine tasks. We also spent time with people who carry out housekeeping and catering work in the service. We spent time on the specialist unit for people with dementia, observing how staff interacted with residents. We also engaged in conversations with people on the unit and we checked that they were relaxed and comfortable with the care and services given to them. We also did this on the general nursing unit and we spoke to individuals and groups about the experience of living in the home. We spoke to the manager, her deputy and the administrative officer and checked on the records they kept relating to their work. Prior to our visit we had also spoken to Social Services about their opinion of the care given. We met with some relatives visiting on the day and we had an in-depth conversation with a local health care practitioner who visits regularly. We found that there was no evidence to suggest that there had been breaches of the Regulations of the Care Standards Act and we made no requirements on the day. We did find that Southern Cross continue to work on improving staff sickness levels and we make
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 10 a recommendation that this continues. We judged that some elements of the complaint need to be looked at by the company and we have asked the head of operations to consider some of the allegations in the letter we received. What the care home does well:
1)Health and personal Care. We judged that people who live in this service receive good levels of care and attention. We met people who were very well groomed and cared for and even at the beginning of the visit had been helped to make the most of themselves. For example all the men in the home had been shaved when assisted to get up and women had been helped to apply make up. There were no foul odours anywhere in the building and no signs in the laundry or in individual rooms that would indicate lack of care and attention by night or day. We spoke to people about their care needs and were told that staff attended to them promptly and appropriately. One person said: I get all the care I need and its done nicely and with the detail I want. Another persons visitor told us: My relative is always neat and clean and is properly fed and looked after. We checked a number of individual care plans and found them to be detailed and suitable for individuals. For example people with complex nursing needs had very good plans that told staff how the care was to be given. We discovered that people with dementia had good plans in place that looked at all of their care needs. These included medication, behavioural approaches and advice from health and social work practitioners. We asked a health care professional about their opinion of the service and he was happy with the care and nursing provided. 2) Complaints and Protection. We are kept fully informed by the management of the home and by more senior representatives of the company when there is an allegation or a complaint. Social Services told us that the service had improved the way they managed these things. We read daily files and spoke to staff and residents about these matters and we judged that these things are being managed well. Staff had received good levels of training about helping and supporting people who were unhappy or at risk. Staff were knowledgeable and said they felt that they could deal with these things as they were given good levels of support from the manager and the company. 3) Staffing We looked at the rosters for staff at all levels and we compared these with time sheets completed by staff which in turn create their wages. We found that these were in order and were suitably dealt with by the homes administrative officer. We judged that there are enough staff to give suitable levels of care given the current occupation and dependancy levels in the home. We also asked staff and residents their opinions and they
Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 10 said that: Generally there are enough staff on shift to give good standards of care. Sickness can be a problem but our manager and the deputy step up and cover shifts. They would even sleep in the home if they had to. We judged that all absences are suitably covered and that there are management processes in place to look into sickness levels in the service. We could see that there were no vacancies on the rosters and that a recent recruitment had taken place for bank staff and to replace one nurse who had given notice to the company. We also judged that many members of this team will do overtime or work beyond their hours so that resident care is not compromised. We want Southern Cross to continue to tackle the issues of short term and repeated sickness in the staff team. We also think it is a good idea for the manager to keep us informed if there are difficulties covering shifts by trained nurses. We looked at staff recruitment, training and development. We found that people were recruited correctly and given induction and core training that covered all aspects of their role. We saw that nurses continue to update their practice, that care staff train to level 2 and 3 NVQ and that people at all levels have special interests that the manager encourages and develops. We looked at the make up of teams on specific days we chose either at random or when we had been advised of an incident in the service. We found that on the days we checked there were at least two nurses on duty (and often the manager and her deputy), one being trained in general nursing and one in mental health nursing. They were supported by senior carers who are trained in a range of skills, including the management of medicines, and experienced care assistants. On the days we checked we saw that staff on duty were dementia care champions, dignity champions or were trained in risk assessment and manual handling. We judged that there was a good mix of skills, ages, experience, expertise and knowledge on most shifts. The balance of this would only be changed when unexpected absence occurred. 4) Management: We spoke to staff who told us they had no problem approaching any of the management team. They also told us they could talk to the operations manager or the operations director as they made regular visits to the home. We were also told that a lot of staff are members of Trade Unions and they would talk to them about any problems. Staff said they could talk to the manager and they found her approachable. People who live in the service and visitors sought out management and nursing staff to talk to. No one had any complaints or concerns on the day. We could see that the manager uses a system she calls thumbs up that recognises and praises good practice. We could also see that the management team were quick to identify any practice that did not meet their standard. We met staff at all levels and all disciplines who were also committed to improving the practice of the entire team. We also noted that the environment was clean and orderly, that activities for residents had improved and that catering and laundry services were working very well. There were no hazards seen in the building during the day and people told us they felt safe and secure in the home. We judged that this service continues to improve so that people in the home receive high
Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 10 levels of care and services. One person who lives in the home told us: The home has only been open for a couple of years. The manager and the staff try really hard and I think things have reallly started to come together. This is a nice place to live and the staff are really very caring. I cant complain but wouldnt hesitate to do so if things were wrong. 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 7 of 10 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements
These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 10 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, 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 1 32 It is recommended that Southern Cross continue to monitor and manage sickness and absence levels in the service. We advise the manager to keep us informed of any events around this that might have an impact on the service delivery. Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 10 Reader Information
Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission 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: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.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) Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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 CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Care Homes for Older People Page 10 of 10 - 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!
