Random inspection report
Care homes for adults (18-65 years)
Name: Address: Gracelands Ellesmere Road Whittington Oswestry Shropshire SY11 4DJ zero star poor service 27/05/2009 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: Sue Woods Date: 2 5 0 8 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Gracelands Ellesmere Road Whittington Oswestry Shropshire SY11 4DJ 01691652153 01691652153 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: www.loppingtonhouse.co.ukEmailoffice@loppingt onhouse.co.uk Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable): Loppington House Ltd The registered provider is responsible for running the service care home 7 Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: 7 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 7 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: Learning disability (LD) 7 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Gracelands is a large house that is shared by seven people. The home is situated in the village of Whittington which has its own shops and pubs as
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 8 2 7 0 5 2 0 0 9 Brief description of the care home well as an historic castle. Everyone who lives at the home has his or her own bedroom. Nobody has to share a room. The home has three bathrooms, a kitchen that you can access with staff support as it has a lock on it, and a small patio at the back of the building where people sit and relax or play ball games. The home has two cars available to take people to the shops, to visit family or to access leisure and social activities. The manager and the staff team support people to make decisions about how they live their lives and there is an advocate who visits the home to make sure people are able to make choices and have a say in the running of the home. He is happy to support anyone who lives at the home. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 8 What we found:
Since our last visit to Gracelands the home has made improvements that have enabled people living at the home to be safer and better supported. Staff have received training to manage peoples identified behaviours and all staff who spoke with us felt that the training gave them the skills and knowledge needed to safely support people. Staff said they were now more confident to support people and as a result no one who lives at the home has been hurt as a result of an incident in July or August. The incident records that we looked at reflected this. Staff also told us, and records showed, that they are now receiving (or have dates planned to receive) all mandatory training courses that will enable them to offer a safer and better quality of service for people living at Gracelands. One person told us how the training has lead to actions planned to ensure the safety of one person while out in the community and as a result his quality of life will be improved. We also found that improvements had been made to care plans because they now contain details of how to support people to manage their challenging or complex behaviour. Care plans are still not being updated following incidents meaning that on occasion challenging behaviour is being rewarded however the project manager has agreed to immediately review the care plan to offer appropriate guidance for staff to follow in the future ensuring consistency and a safe approach. Activity plans are now in place to enable people to plan and lead fuller and more purposeful lives. Staff felt that overall opportunities for people were improving although also thought that this is an area that needs further development. We looked at actions taken following a recent medication error and found that the home had acted appropriately to reduce the likelihood of the same mistake happening again. We looked at records in relation to staff training and spoke with all staff on duty. We found that staff feel more confident and competent to do their jobs. Staff felt that training opportunities were now good. Everyone felt up to date meaning that people who live at Gracelands can feel safe knowing that staff can effectively meet their care and support needs. The home manager has carried out a risk assessment identifying minimum safe staffing levels and the staff rota and staff, in conversations, told us that these levels are being maintained meaning better support and more opportunities for people to enjoy activities inside and outside of the house. Staff did feel however that opportunities are still limited for some people although they all felt people were now safe. What the care home does well:
When we previously visited Gracelands we found that people who live there are supported to make choices and this means that people have control over their lives. People are supported to be as independent as they are able meaning that they can develop skills that will help them. People have the support of an independent advocate who we met at the time of this inspection visit and he told us that he thought people
Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 8 were happy living at Gracelands. At the time of our last visit we found that care plans showed that people attend regular health care appointments and a very person centred booklet has been produced for everyone that details peoples needs and preferences in relation to their health care. The booklet enables health care professionals to know how people prefer their needs to be met and identifies any important information that will enable them to meet that persons needs safely while in their care. Improvements noted at the time of this inspection visit will further improve opportunities for people and provide more detailed support information to ensure that people can live full and active lives in a safe and supportive environment. The deputy manager is now trained in techniques to support people who have challenging and unpredictable behaviours. He will thus be able to review care and management plans and review incident reports to offer advice and support to staff. This was seen by staff to be a valuable resource. 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 £ 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 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 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 6 It is recommended that staff are consulted and involved in the development of care plans. It is recommended that care plans should be updated following incidents to ensure that guidelines are in place to ensure staff offer safe and consistent support at all times It is recommended that the home ensures that plans to keep people safe do not negatively impact on the activities and opportunities of other people living in the home. It is recommended that the project manager adapt the safe staffing risk assessment to demonstrate that safe staffing levels (with appropriately trained staff) are maintained at all times throughout the day and night. 2 6 3 6 4 33 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. 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 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. 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!
