Inspection on 12/11/08 for Ashfield Court

This inspection was carried out on 12th November 2008.

CSCI found this care home to be providing an Adequate service.

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.

Other inspections for this house

Ashfield Court 25/11/08

Ashfield Court 27/11/07

Similar services:

Turret Villa Retirement Home

Moor House

Mendip House

Beaconsfield Court Care Home

Little Sisters Of The Poor

Manor House

Middleton Hall Ltd

Middlesbrough Intermediate Care Centre

Extracts from inspection reports are licensed from CQC, this page was updated on 18/06/2009.

Inspecting for better lives Random inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: Ashfield Court Great Lime Road Forest Hall Newcastle Upon Tyne NE12 9DH The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: one star adequate service 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: Michael Earnshaw Date: 1 2 1 1 2 0 0 8 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Ashfield Court Great Lime Road Forest Hall Newcastle Upon Tyne NE12 9DH 01912566344 01912566346 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Southern Cross BC OpCo Ltd care home 46 Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 dementia old age, not falling within any other category 46 0 Over 65 0 46 Conditions of registration: The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care Home only - Code PC To service users 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 - maximum number of places 46 Dementia, Code DE, maximum number of places 46 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 46 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Ashfield Court provides care for 46 older people who require residential care. Nursing care is not provided. The home is set over two floors, the first floor being used to accommodate 24 service users who have dementia type illnesses. A security code system is in place on the first floor doors for the safety of service users who may wander. 22 service users, who need care due to general old age, occupy the ground Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 11 floor. Each service user has a single bedroom with an en-suite toilet and wash-hand basin. The home has been designed to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities and therefore has wide corridors and doorways for easy wheelchair access. There are a number of bathrooms, some of which have baths and showers suitable for use by people with mobility problems. There are attractive lounges and dining areas on each floor. The laundry and staff facilities are on the third floor of the building. There is a garden area to the rear which has gates fitted for added security. Car parking is provided at the side of the home. The home is located on a main road in Forest Hall, which provides good transport links. The local shopping centre is about a mile away. Information about the home, including inspection reports, was readily available in the reception area. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 11 What we found: The reason for the visit was to undertake a pharmacist inspection of the service following notification of two medication errors involving controlled drugs.The visit lasted 3.75 hours and we looked at arrangements within the home that support the safe handling of medicines. We looked at medicine administration record (MAR) charts, ordering and receipt documents and storage arrangements. We also observed medicines being given to persons in the home. We gave verbal feedback to the manager of the home. The medication policy, although very comprehensive does not include guidance on the local arrangements for the supply and disposal of medicines. There are adequate medicines storage facilities located within secure, well equipped treatment rooms on both floors. Some medication, including creams and ointments were located on open shelves in the treatment rooms and were not stored within a locked cupboard. Monitoring of the fridge and room temperature on the first floor is poor and recording sheets were torn, incomplete and not filed securely. The date of opening of medicines with limited use once opened is not regularly recorded. Several containers of eye drops and eye ointments were not labelled with the date of opening. This means there is a risk that the medication may be used beyond the date recommended by the manufacturer and may not be safe to administer. Medicines awaiting disposal are fully recorded within the home but they are not securely stored whilst awaiting collection. The records confirm that substantial quantities of as required medication is returned each month and reordered, rather than being carried over to the next month. The controlled drug cupboards appear to meet the safe custody regulations and there were no discrepancies between controlled drugs in the home and the relevant entries in the controlled drug registers and on the MAR charts. Drug administration was observed on the first floor and there was evidence of good practice and support to people receiving medicines. Encouragement was given to help people take their medicines and the wishes of individuals were observed in relation to the administration of as required medication. We were informed that no people in the home self medicate. There were no significant gaps on the MAR charts and few discrepancies between the quantities of medicines received, the number of doses recorded and the quantity remaining in stock. The standard of handwritten entries on the MAR charts was variable and entries are not always countersigned by a second carer to confirm their accuracy. Some entries lacked of the date they were written or the quantity of medication supplied or carried over from the previous month.One person was prescribed additional medication to be taken as required to manage agitation but there was insufficient information on the MAR to inform staff as to when and how frequently this medication could be given. Another person was prescribed eye drops but no clear directions on frequency of use were written on the MAR chart. Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 11 The training records of for senior carers were reviewed.They had all received appropriate medication training and had attended a recent medication update training day presented by a pharmacist from the local Primary Care Trust. 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 5 of 11 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 7 15(1) Each service user?s plan of 31/03/2008 care must fully describe their needs and the help they require from care staff. It is advisable that all care plans cover the areas outlined in Standard 3.3 of the National Minimum Standards. For instance, recording any difficulties a service user has with their vision and how this affects their day to day life and what help they need from staff; recording each resident?s nutritional status, their preferred or required dietary requirements, what help they need with eating. Staff must be given training as necessary to meet this requirement. Written entries in the care records must be signed and readable, as otherwise important information may be misunderstood. 2 8 14(2) Assessments of risk, 31/03/2008 including malnutrition, falls, pressure areas, must only be carried out by care staff who are fully trained in the assessment process and able to put an effective plan of action in place, where required. So, for instance, if Page 6 of 11 Care Homes for Older People a resident is assessed at risk of developing pressure sores, professional advice must be obtained and followed and a care plan put in place which tells the care staff what to do to help prevent pressure sores happening to the person concerned. 3 8 13(5) Where any resident cannot 31/03/2008 weight bear, an assessment must be made by an appropriately trained person which tells staff what equipment should be used to assist them. This must detail the size and type of sling and hoist suitable for the resident, as using the wrong type could cause injury to the resident. Suitable equipment must be obtained if not already in place. Draw up a menu plan or 31/12/2007 keep a sufficiently detailed record of the food provided for vegetarian service users to enable any person inspecting the record to determine whether the diet is satisfactory, in relation to nutrition, variety and choice. Not met original timescale of 28/02/07. 4 15 17(2) Schedule 3 5 30 19Schedule 2 Keep a written record of the 31/12/2007 induction training provided to new staff, so that it can be shown that staff have received the training they need to do their job well. 13(5) Footplates must be used when transporting residents in wheelchairs, to avoid unnecessary injuries. 31/12/2007 6 38 Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 11 Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 11 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 1 9 13 MAR charts for as required medication must contain adequate information about the dose and timing of administration. This will make sure that medicines are given as intended by the doctor thereby protecting the health of the individual. 12/12/2008 2 9 13 All medication, including medicines awaiting disposal, must be stored safely and securely. This will protect medicines from loss, theft or being tampered with. 12/12/2008 3 9 13 Medication with limited use once opened must only be used in line with the manufacturers recommendations. This makes sure that medicines are always safe to give when needed 12/12/2008 Recommendations Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 11 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 9 Signatures of staff authorised to administer medicines should be kept with the MAR charts. This will help identify who was involved in administration if an error or problem arises. Staff should sign and date handritten entries they make on the MAR charts. Each entry should be checked and countersigned by a second person to reduce the risk of error when copying information. The medicines policy should be updated to reflect local requirements and practices in the home.Providing clear and up to date guidance will help staff understand how to handle and administer medicines safely. A maximum/minimum thermometer should be used to monitor the fridge temperature regularly. This will demonstrate that medicines are stored within the appropriate temperature range and so are safe to use. 2 9 3 9 4 9 Care Homes for Older People Page 10 of 11 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. 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