Inspection on 17/03/10 for Fix Anchor Ltd

This inspection was carried out on 17th March 2010.

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

The inspector found there to be outstanding requirements from the previous inspection report. These are things the inspector asked to be changed, but found they had not done. The inspector also made 1 statutory requirements (actions the home must comply with) as a result of this inspection.

Other inspections for this house

Fix Anchor Ltd 14/01/10

Extracts from inspection reports are licensed from CQC, this page was updated on 16/05/2010.

Random inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: Fix Anchor Ltd 119 Rochdale Road Milnrow Rochdale Lancs OL16 4DU one star adequate service 14/01/2010 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: Simon Hill Date: 1 7 0 3 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Fix Anchor Ltd 119 Rochdale Road Milnrow Rochdale Lancs OL16 4DU 01706750790 01706750790 anchor-ltd@btconnect.com Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Fix Anchor Ltd Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : care home 10 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 mental disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia Conditions of registration: 10 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 service are within the following category: Mental disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia - Code MD. The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 10 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Oaklands House registered as a care home under the company name of Fix Anchor in August 2009. It is registered to provide accommodation, care and support to 10 people with a mental disorder. The home is an older detached property situated on the main Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 8 1 4 0 1 2 0 1 0 Brief description of the care home road between Rochdale and Milnrow. As such Rochdale and the nearby towns are easily accessible, as are the community facilities. The property is 3 storey with the communal areas being on the ground floor and all the bedrooms on the first and second floor. The bedrooms are all single and ensuite with tea and coffee making facilities, and some have an additional adjoining sitting area. The home has written information about the services and facilties, that is available to people to help them make a decision about whether or not they would like to live there. The fees charged for living in the home are individually assessed according to the support required and the social services financial assessment Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 8 What we found: We carried out this visit because we found serious shortfalls in the way medicines were being handled at our last key inspection in January 2010. The visited was carried out by a pharmacist inspector who checked medicines stock and medicines records. Overall we found medicines were not being handled in a safe way because the medicines records were not accurate enough. The home used a very dated medicines recording system that made accurate recording difficult to do. Records of receipt were not always clear and at times were confusing because medicines were booked into a spare stock cupboard when they were first delivered then when they were needed they were booked into current stock. This is unnecessary and made accounting for medicines overly complicated. Records of medicines given to people were not accurate and they did not meet the requirements of the law because a proper record of what was given to people was not made. The records that staff signed made no reference to the medicines that were being given to people so staff had to rely on the labels and packaging of the medicines. Residents were asked to sign a my medication book every time they took their medicines and although this listed some of their medicines this was not always up to date and could not be relied upon to be an accurate record. Asking people to sign for their medicines is not normal practice because it does not respect peoples dignity. Medicines were normally provided in a specially dispensed system that the pharmacist supplied every week but this design system is not the most suitable for use in a care home because it is difficult to identify individual tablets. The registered person told us that they were going to start a new system within the next month that would include using records supplied by the pharmacist. We gave some detailed advice about how to manage this and how to make sure the records and stock are safely handled. Medicines returned to the pharmacy when no longer required could now be recorded in a special returns book although none had been returned recently so we could not assess whether this was being managed properly. We looked at two care plans and records to check if medicines were properly reflected in them. We looked at how two people were supported to look after some of their own medicines. One of them had a clear plan and risk assessment about how they were to be supported but the other person had very little information because they had just been admitted to the home so their care plan was still being developed. Having good paperwork and procedures for supporting people to look after their own medicines helps them retain some of their independence in a safe way. We looked at how medicines were stored and found main stock to be securely stored in a suitable metal medicines cabinet. However, spare stock was not securely stored so we gave some advice about how to put this right. Having secure storage helps prevent the mishandling of medicines. We checked how controlled drugs (medicines that can be misused) were handled. There was no suitable cupboard to store them in and there was no special register for making records of receipt, administration and disposal. The home did not currently hold any Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 8 controlled drugs but arrangements need to be in place for when any are prescribed because having secure storage and accurate records help prevent misuse and mishandling. Since our last visit some medicines handling training had been provided by the community pharmacist but the registered person said this had been too short and inadequate. Further training has been arranged within the next month to coincide with starting a new medicines handling system. New competency assessment paperwork had been developed and this is to be used once all staff have attended the training and the new system is in place. Medicines training and detailed competency assessments help make sure medicines are handled safely by suitably skilled staff. 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 Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 8 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes R No £ 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 1 20 13 Suitable systems must be in place for the accurate recording of, medication received into the home, being administered and medication disposed of. So that there is a clear audit trail of medicines that helps to prevent mishandling of medicines, and helps to ensure all medicines are given properly. 19/02/2010 2 34 19 Staff recruitment must be in 19/02/2010 accordance with the Care Homes Regulations, and staff must not commence work in the home without a criminal records bureau check being obtained. Also full employment histories must be recorded and gaps in employment explored and documented. To ensure that only suitable staff are employed, and that residents are protected. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 8 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 20 13 Medicines must be stored securely in suitable cupboards at all times. This will help prevent mishandling and misuse. 19/04/2010 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 20 People who live in the home should not be asked to sign for their medicines unless this forms part of their plan of care so their rights and dignity are respected. A new system of medicines packaging and recording is strongly recommended so that medicines are safely given and properly recorded. All staff should receive training and competency assessment regarding the use of any new system to make sure they have the necessary skills to handle medicines safely. 2 20 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 8 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 Adults (18-65 years) 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 Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 8 - 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. 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