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Inspection on 06/10/09 for Heathlands

Also see our care home review for Heathlands for more information

This inspection was carried out on 6th October 2009.

It is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Excellent.

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.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: Heathlands The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: three star excellent 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 review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   Yes You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Sandra Bromige Date of this annual service review: 2 6 0 8 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 7 Information about the service Address of service: Station Road Pershore Worcs WR10 1NG 01386562220 01386550409 heathlands@heart-of-england.co.uk www.heart-of-england.co.uk Heart of England Housing and Care Limited Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 60 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 (OP) 60 Dementia (DE) 60 Physical Disability (PD) 60 Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the Yes service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: The registered manager has left the home and a new manager (designate) is in post. Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 60 0 60 0 60 0 Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Annual Service Review Page 2 of 7 Heathlands is a purpose built home situated close to the town centre of Pershore. It is located within walking distance of the town centre where there are shops, restaurants, public houses, churches and good pubic transport. The home is built on two floors with a passenger lift to each floor and is arranged in units. All bedrooms are single and with en-suite toilets and showers. Adapted bathrooms are available on each floor and each unit has a communal lounge, dining and kitchenette facilities. The home is registered to provide a residential care and respite service for up to sixty older people who may have physical disabilities and/or mental health needs. A separate eight-bedded unit provides a service to older people with dementia type illnesses. A separate day care unit provides a service five days each week to older people living in the community The registered providers are Heart of England Housing and Care Ltd. The registered manager post is currently vacant, although a manager (designate) is in post. Information regarding the home is available in their Statement of Purpose and Service Users Guide. Copies of these and the inspection reports are available in the homes reception and on request. Alternative formats can also be provided. The current fees are available upon request from the home. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 7 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection or annual service review (ASR). This included: The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous key inspection and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service in the last 12 months. The previous Annual Service Review. Relevant information from other organisations. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The last key inspection of the service was carried out on 22nd August 2007. Heathlands returned the annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. The AQAA was poorly completed. With the exception of the numerical information, the information in the AQAA was almost identical to the information provided by the previous registered manager in an AQAA submitted in October 2008. There is no evidence to show the service has improved since then, as under the sections how we have improved in the last 12 months and our plans for improvement in the next 12 months, the information written is identical to the AQAA dated October 2008. Under the health and personal care section there is no information to evidence if the service have addressed the shortfalls in management of medication identified at the random inspection carried out on 5th May 2009. The only reference to improvement states improvements to medication system, which is the same as the AQAA submitted in October 2008. The AQAA does not tell us how the service is currently operating and the improvements they have made since the last AQAA was submitted and improvements they wish to make in the next 12 months. The key unannounced inspection, which was carried out on the 22/08/07, formed a judgement that the service was providing a three star excellent service. The annual service review carried out on 12/11/08 stated we looked at the information in the AQAA and out judgement is that the home is still providing an excellent service and that they know what further improvements they need to make. We carried out a random inspection of the service on 05/05/09 as we had been told Annual Service Review Page 4 of 7 about three medication errors in the home and we wanted to look at how the service were managing medication for the people who use the service. Five requirements and two recommendations were made relating to medication in the report. As stated above there is no information in the AQAA showing what action the service has taken to address these shortfalls. Our judgement is the service is not currently providing a three star excellent service. The AQAA contained numerical data which told us they provide a service for older people of both sexes, who have a range of needs such as general frailty due to old age, mental health needs and dementia, learning, physical and sensory disabilities. The service currently employs a multi-cultural team of male and female care staff. We received eight surveys from people who use the service, two health professionals and one staff member. This is what the people who use the service said about the service and its staff when we asked them what the service does well: Does most things right. Im comfortable and the staff are nice. If I have a complaint I will complain. Food is good most of the time. The home is clean. Someone available when you need help. Gardens are nice. Its very comfortable with comfortable rooms and nice bathrooms. It has a lovely garden, Heathlands is near to shops so I can pop out when I want, also near a good library. Feeds me well. The home cares for me well. They look after me very well. The staff are always there when I need them. This is what the people who use the service said about the service and its staff when we asked them what the service could do better: Better people to run the home. Veg patch at the day centre. Provide man and wife rooms. Not very much entertainment. We sent nine staff survey forms to the home, but it is disappointing we only had one completed survey returned from staff. This is what it said about the service when we asked them what the service does well: Keep the rooms full to keep the money rolling in. This is what the staff said about the service when we asked them what the service could do better: Keep staff on regular units as residents get to know you and you get to know them. Staff never know what unit or who they are working with until we sign in on a shift. A lot of residents like regular staff all the time. The home seems to be going downhill since we had a new manager. Most staff feel like leaving and getting other jobs. We received a report from the Provider following an investigation about a complaint. The report told us the new manager has introduced new initiatives that are challenging the staff groups ability to cope with change. This appears to be reflected in the comments received in the completed staff survey we received. We received two surveys from health professionals who visit the service. This is what they said about the service when we asked them what the service does well: Generally the staff are friendly, helpful and quite well informed. The more experienced staff know the residents well. This is what the health professionals said about the service when we asked them what the service could do better: Ongoing training of new staff with less experience e.g Annual Service Review Page 5 of 7 when appropriate to call GP and when appropriate to monitor themselves. The AQAA told us the service has received 14 complaints in the last 12 months, and they have all been upheld. We have received a complaint about the service which we asked the Provider to investigate. A thorough response was received following the complaint which related to the care of an identified person who uses the service, low staffing levels and staff morale, difficulty contacting the on-call manager and the competency of the lead carers at the home. The service identified things which could have been done better relating to the care of a person with challenging behaviour and this will be incorporated into the identified need for further training and development for the lead care staff in the home. There have been two safeguarding referrals; one was proven and one remains open. We are satisfied the home acted appropriately in each matter and they continue to let us know about anything important that has happened. The registered manager left in January 2009 and a new manager (designate) is in post. The AQQA tells us about the policies and procedures the service has in place and when they were last reviewed. With the exception of two policies, they have not been reviewed in the last 12 months. The home need to review these policies and procedures to ensure they reflect current legislation and practice. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We are going to check that the home have complied with the requirements made following the random inspection in May 2009. We will change our inspection plan and bring the date of the next key inspection forward. However, we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 6 of 7 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. 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 copy of the findings 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. 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