Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Brindley Court Nursing and Residential Home Station Street Longport Stoke-on-trent Staffordshire ST6 4ND two star good service 06/10/2008 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: Yvonne Allen Date: 0 9 0 3 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Brindley Court Nursing and Residential Home Station Street Longport Stoke-on-trent Staffordshire ST6 4ND 01782828428 01782828429 brindley.court@ashbourne.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Yvonne Jacqueline Hof Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Modelfuture Limited care home 52 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 52 0 old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: 0 52 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 52 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care Home with Nursing (Code N); 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 (OP) 52 Physical disability (PD) 52 Date of last inspection 0 6 1 0 2 0 0 8 Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 10 Brief description of the care home Brindley Court Care Centre provides personal and nursing care for up to fifty-two male and female persons. The home provides accommodation for mainly older people but can accommodate up to thirteen people, aged between 35 and 60 years on admission who have a physical disability. The home is a two-storey purpose built brick building. It has fifty-two single bedrooms and each of them has an en-suite comprising of a toilet and wash hand basin. The home has lounges and dining facilities on each floor. A passenger lift that is accessible to people allows easy access around the home. There are appropriately adapted bathing facilities to each floor. There is a central kitchen and laundry. Externally, the home has pleasant secure gardens for service users to enjoy and there is ample parking space. The home is situated close to the A500 and is within easy access of local shops, bus service, a train station and road networks. The fees charged by the home at the time of the inspection visit ranged from 360.00 to 540.00 pounds. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 10 What we found:
We carried out this unannounced Random Inspection to identify whether the service had addressed the requirements we had made in our last Inspection, done on 22nd January 2010. We met with the prospective registered manager and the deputy manager. We also met with a nurse on duty, care staff and some of the people who live in the home. We looked at relevant documentation and discussed the improvements that the service has made since our last visit. The manager has reviewed the staffing arrangements and made improvements to this. The service has employed a mealtime assistant over breakfast and lunch. The service have also been recruiting new care staff. Both managers and the nurse on duty confirmed that this has had a positive impact on the staffing arrangements at the home, although there is still room for improvement. There is no mealtime assistant provided during the evening/teatime meal and, on the second floor, there is a reduction of two staff during the afternoon/evening period. The managers have discussed this and have agreed to address this staffing shortfall. We also looked at the way in which the service have improved in their assessment process. The manager told us that she is the person who goes out to assess peoples needs before offering a place at the home. This is done by the deputy manager in her absence. She said that she does not offer a place at the home unless she can be confident that the persons needs can be met by them. She also told us that she has recently organized for a review of a person who lives at the home as she feels that this persons needs have changed and that the home cannot meet these new needs. This person has now been reviewed and will be moving to a different care environment where her needs will be better met. The mangers also informed us that they are reviewing everybodys personal care plan and re-writing these. The service have also addressed the recommendation we left for a review and improvement of the meals served in the home. This has included the service sending out surveys for people who live in the home to express their views about the meals and quality of food served. We looked at these surveys and found that all but one person was happy with the meals and food quality. People also made suggestions of dishes to add to the menu which the home have taken on board. The manager has held discussions with the family of the person who is unhappy with the meals and a satisfactory arrangement has been met. We had also been made aware of another Safeguarding referral, made by the service in respect of allegations of abuse at the home. We had not been involved in the strategy meeting organized by Social Services but we had received details of this meeting. These details identified that the police are currently leading the investigations. However there were other areas of concern raised during this meeting which we did look at as part of this inspection visit. These areas of concern were around documentation of events by senior staff and staff not being familiar with the safeguarding procedure. Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 10 We looked at the events around the time of the Safeguarding referral. We discussed this in detail with the manager and the deputy manager of the home. It was identified that the manager had been informed of the allegations when she came onto duty. The manager took advice from the Companys legal advisers. She immediately suspended the staff involved in the allegations. She then reported the incident as a Safeguarding referral to Social Services and made us, CQC, aware of this in the form of a regulation 37 report. The manager also spoke with the Whistle blower and offered her support and guidance during a supervision. The deputy manager confirmed the above actions and events and told us that he himself had had no other dealings with the matter. When we asked about documentation surrounding these events we were told that the managers notes were on bits of paper together in a folder and that the night nurse who had informed the manager had not documented this at the time. It is recommended that the service develop a more formal process for documentation relating to the recording of Safeguarding events in the home. The managers told us about how they are ensuring that all staff are updated with training in safeguarding and whistle blowing. We were given copies of these policys. The managers told us that all staff were being issued with these. Staff are then being sent questionnaires to complete which will identify any training needs they might have in relation to Safeguarding. The Companys Safeguarding Manager will then provide further training for staff who require this. Southern Cross are also running an in-house diploma programme on safeguarding which all staff will be expected to complete. We had a walk around the floor and visited both units. We met with four people who were sat in their wheelchairs in the lounge after lunch. The manger told us that these people all wished to stay in their wheelchairs rather than move into easy chairs. We spoke with each person and they all told us that they preferred to sit in their wheelchair. We met with two ladies who live in the home who had small pendants attached to their clothing and these in turn attached to wires leading into a socket in the wall of the lounge. We were informed that, as these ladies are at risk of falling, this is how the service monitors when these ladies get up and try to walk. This sets an alarm off and staff are alerted. There were no staff present who were supervising in the lounge area at the time. What the care home does well: What they could do better:
The service should improve its documentation of significant events. There was no recording by the night nurse of the allegations which she had been made aware of. The manager of the home had recorded her actions in relation to the Safeguarding referral on
Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 10 bits of paper. This makes its difficult for the professionals who have to investigate to ascertain the series of events. The service need to review and improve the way in which records are maintained. Although the provision of staff at the home has been reviewed and improvements have been made, the service could do better in the following areas A mealtime assistant is required over teatime/evening meal also. Also another care staff member is required during the afternoon period to work on the second floor unit. This will enable care staff to continue to meet the needs of people who live in the home. As well as the above, it was concerning to note that two ladies who are at risk of falls had alarms attached to them as outlined earlier in this report. This method of monitoring could be viewed as intrusive and restrictive, and as such, the service will need to complete a Deprivation Of Liberty Safeguarding referral for these ladies. Also, it is suggested that the provision of a staff member supervising the lounge area would be a more appropriate option of monitoring these ladies and keeping them safe. The service must also ensure that peoples care plans contain risk assessments in relation to the above. With reference to the people sitting in wheelchairs in the lounge, this may place the person at risk of developing pressure damage/pressure ulcers as their positions are not changed whilst they remain in their wheelchairs. The service will need to demonstrate, through the persons care plan and record of daily care, that these people do have their positions changed regularly, and have been assessed as to their skin integrity, and have a risk assessment in place in relation to this, including any specialist cushions used. 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 6 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 7 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 1 18 13 13 (7) The registered person 15/03/2010 shall ensure that no person is subject to physical restraint unless restraint of the kind employed is the only practicable means of securing the welfare of the person/s and there are exceptional circumstances. The service must make a referral under the Deprivation Of Liberty Safeguarding in respect of the two people who have alrams atteched to them, and to each other which detect their movement. The service will also need to demonstrate, through care plans and records of daily care, that people who sit in wheelchairs for any length of time do have their positions changed regularly, and have been assessed as to their skin integrity, and have a risk assessment in place in relation to this. Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 10 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 2 27 18 18 The registered person shall.... (a)ensure that at all times suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons are working in the care home in such numbers as are appropriate for the health and welfare of people living in the home. The service must employ a mealtime assistant over the evening meal/teatime period. This will help to ensure that the needs of people are met continually. The service must also ensure that, where people are at risk of falls in communal areas then these areas, such as lounges, are supervised by a competent staff member at all times. This will help to ensure that people are kept safe. 15/03/2010 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 18 The service should review and improve the practice for the recording and documentation of significant events, such as allegations received and action taken in respect of the Safeguarding Of Vulnerale Adults. 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. © Care Quality Commission 2010 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any format or medium for noncommercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source should be acknowledged, by showing the publication title and © Care Quality Commission 2010. 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!
