Key inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Hill Top Care Home Colliery Road Church Gresley Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9LU The quality rating for this care home is:
one star adequate service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home 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 full review a ‘key’ inspection. Lead inspector: Janet Morrow
Date: 2 7 0 5 2 0 0 9 This is a review of quality of outcomes that people experience in this care home. We believe high quality care should • • • • • Be safe Have the right outcomes, including clinical outcomes Be a good experience for the people that use it Help prevent illness, and promote healthy, independent living Be available to those who need it when they need it. The first part of the review gives the overall quality rating for the care home: • • • • 3 2 1 0 stars - excellent stars - good star - adequate star - poor There is also a bar chart that gives a quick way of seeing the quality of care that the home provides under key areas that matter to people. There is a summary of what we think this service does well, what they have improved on and, where it applies, what they need to do better. We use the national minimum standards to describe the outcomes that people should experience. National minimum standards are written by the Department of Health for each type of care service. After the summary there is more detail about our findings. The following table explains what you will see under each outcome area.
Outcome area (for example Choice of home) These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. that people have said are important to them: They reflect the things This box tells you the outcomes that we will always inspect against when we do a key inspection. This box tells you any additional outcomes that we may inspect against when we do a key inspection.
This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: This box tells you our opinion of what we have looked at in this outcome area. We will say whether it is excellent, good, adequate or poor. Evidence: This box describes the information we used to come to our judgement. Care Homes for Older People
Page 2 of 28 We review the quality of the service against outcomes from the National Minimum Standards (NMS). Those standards are written by the Department of Health for each type of care service. Copies of the National Minimum Standards – Care Homes for Older People can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or bought 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 The mission of the Care Quality Commission is to make care better for people by: • Regulating health and adult social care services to ensure quality and safety standards, drive improvement and stamp out bad practice • Protecting the rights of people who use services, particularly the most vulnerable and those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 • Providing accessible, trustworthy information on the quality of care and services so people can make better decisions about their care and so that commissioners and providers of services can improve services. • Providing independent public accountability on how commissioners and providers of services are improving the quality of care and providing value for money. Reader Information
Document Purpose Author Audience Further copies from Copyright Inspection report Care Quality Commission General public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) 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. www.cqc.org.uk Internet address Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 28 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Hill Top Care Home Colliery Road Church Gresley Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 9LU 01283550354 P/F01283550354 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Mrs Judith Dena Griffin,Stewart Westley Barker Name of registered manager (if applicable) Type of registration: Number of places registered: care home 23 Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Additional conditions: The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 23 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 23), Dementia - Code DE (Maximum number of places - 23), Physical Disability - Code PD (Maximum number of places 3) Date of last inspection 23 0 3 Over 65 0 23 0 Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 28 Brief description of the care home Hill Top Care Home Limited is a 23 bedded home, providing nursing and personal care to persons aged 65 years and over, including 2 places for people aged 50 years and over with physical disabilities. The home is a purpose built, single storey building, located in Church Gresley, and close to local shops and a bus route. The home has 21 single rooms and 1 shared room. Service users have access to two lounge areas and a dining room which can be partitioned from the lounge Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 28 Summary
This is an overview of what we found during the inspection. The quality rating for this care home is: Our judgement for each outcome: one star adequate service Choice of home Health and personal care Daily life and social activities Complaints and protection Environment Staffing Management and administration peterchart Poor Adequate Good Excellent How we did our inspection: This inspection visit was unannounced and took place over one day for a total of 8 hours. Care records, staff records and a random sample of policies and maintenance documents were examined. A partial tour of the building was undertaken. Case tracking methodology was used which means that the records of two people were looked at in detail and relevant staff and visitors were spoken with to find out what impact the service had for those peoples well being and quality of life. Ten of the nineteen people currently accommodated were spoken with. Three sets of relatives, four members of staff, two visiting professionals and the responsible Care Homes for Older People
Page 6 of 28 individual were spoken with. Seven surveys were received prior to the visit: one from a relative, one from someone living in the home, two from visiting professionals and three from staff. Written information in the form of an annual quality assurance assessment was provided by the home prior to the inspection visit and informed the inspection process. Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 28 What the care home does well: What has improved since the last inspection? 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 on page 4. The report of this inspection is available from our website www.cqc.org.uk. Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 28 You can get printed copies from enquiries@cqc.org.uk or by telephoning our order line 0870 240 7535. Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 28 Details of our findings
Contents Choice of home (standards 1 - 6) Health and personal care (standards 7 - 11) Daily life and social activities (standards 12 - 15) Complaints and protection (standards 16 - 18) Environment (standards 19 - 26) Staffing (standards 27 - 30) Management and administration (standards 31 - 38) Outstanding statutory requirements Requirements and recommendations from this inspection Care Homes for Older People Page 10 of 28 Choice of home
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People are confident that the care home can support them. This is because there is an accurate assessment of their needs that they, or people close to them, have been involved in. This tells the home all about them and the support they need. People who stay at the home only for intermediate care, have a clear assessment that includes a plan on what they hope for and want to achieve when they return home. People can decide whether the care home can meet their support and accommodation needs. This is because they, or people close to them, have been able to visit the home and have got full, clear, accurate and up to date information about the home. If they decide to stay in the home they know about their rights and responsibilities because there is an easy to understand contract or statement of terms and conditions between them and the care home that includes how much they will pay and what the home provides for the money. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. Well completed admission information was available that established the home was able to meet peoples needs. Evidence: The written information supplied by the home stated that all prospective service users are invited to visit the home and pre-admission assessments are carried out. Two peoples care files were examined and both had a detailed assessment of need. Each file held an up to date nursing assessment and there were assessments for risk of pressure sores, nutritional risks and use of equipment such as bed rails and wheelchairs. Assessment information was also received from external professionals. Those people living at the home and their relatives confirmed that their care needs were met. One relative said they couldnt praise the home enough and another said they were delighted with the care. A visiting professional spoken with confirmed that
Care Homes for Older People Page 11 of 28 Evidence: the home was able to meet needs. The relatives survey received responded that the home usually met needs and the survey from a person living in the home responded that they always received the care and support needed. Care Homes for Older People Page 12 of 28 Health and personal care
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People’s health, personal and social care needs are met. The home has a plan of care that the person, or someone close to them, has been involved in making. If they take medicine, they manage it themselves if they can. If they cannot manage their medicine, the care home supports them with it, in a safe way. People’s right to privacy is respected and the support they get from staff is given in a way that maintains their dignity. If people are approaching the end of their life, the care home will respect their choices and help them feel comfortable and secure. They, and people close to them, are reassured that their death will be handled with sensitivity, dignity and respect, and take account of their spiritual and cultural wishes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience adequate quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. Inconsistencies in care planning and medication administration had the potential to put peoples health at risk. Evidence: Two peoples care files were examined and both had a care plan in place that contained information on how to address needs. However, one care plan was not fully completed since admission and staff were using assessment information as the basis of the care to be provided. The essential areas were covered and there was a detailed care plan on how to prevent pressure sores but there were other areas, such as nutrition and mobility, where there was no care plan available and basic information was being used to provide the care required. The fully completed care plan was comprehensive and contained information regarding social care needs and emotional needs. Risk assessments were also comprehensive and assessments for risk of pressure sores and nutritional needs were reviewed on a monthly basis. There were also daily communication logs on each file. Care Homes for Older People Page 13 of 28 Evidence: There were records that showed input from a range of other professionals; optician, General Practitioner (GP), dentist and chiropodist. A visiting professional confirmed that they were called in appropriately and that any advice given was acted upon. It was observed during the inspection visit that staff and people living at the home enjoyed warm relationships and privacy and dignity was upheld. One relative spoken with described the care at the home as brilliant and said the health of their relative had turned around since being at the home. Another said the carers were friendly. The survey received from a person living in the home responded that carers always listened and acted on what they said and a survey from a visiting professional commented that the home provided good nursing care and another said that they look after residents well. The home used Derbyshire Primary Care Trusts medication policy as their guide for medication administration procedures but did not have a copy of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society guidelines on handling medicines in social care. A general check on four medication administration record (MAR) charts showed that the charts were signed properly without any gaps on the charts and as required medication had an explanation for its administration recorded on the chart. However, not all handwritten MAR charts were being signed by two people and not all had the amount of medicine received completed on the chart. Two peoples charts were then examined in more detail and their charts were completed accurately and corresponded with the blister packs. There were controlled drugs in use and these were stored securely in an appropriate cupboard. A random sample of three peoples controlled drugs was checked; two were recorded accurately and the amount of medicine held corresponded with the record. However, one person had an additional Fentanyl patch in stock than indicated on the controlled drugs record. The nurse in charge could not give an explanation at the time and assumed that this indicated that the person concerned had not received their medication as prescribed, even though the register indicated it had been signed for as given. Although medication audits took place, there was no indication on the two previous medication audits carried out by the home that an error had been noticed. There was a medication refrigerator available and its temperature was recorded on a daily basis and was within safe limits. Care Homes for Older People Page 14 of 28 Daily life and social activities
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: Each person is treated as an individual and the care home is responsive to his or her race, culture, religion, age, disability, gender and sexual orientation. They are part of their local community. The care home supports people to follow personal interests and activities. People are able to keep in touch with family, friends and representatives. They are as independent as they can be, lead their chosen lifestyle and have the opportunity to make the most of their abilities. People have nutritious and attractive meals and snacks, at a time and place to suit them. There are no additional outcomes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. Meals and activities were well managed, which enhanced peoples quality of life. Evidence: There was a designated activities co-ordinator post for the home, although a new person was in the process of being recruited. Games such as dominoes were being played on the day of the inspection visit and two people spoken with said they particularly enjoyed the exercises that were organised. Another person spoken with said they had their own hobbies such as crochet. Activities records also showed that personal attention was provided on an individual basis, such as manicures, and people spoken with confirmed that they had their nails varnished. Relatives spoken with also confirmed that external musical entertainers were organised and special celebrations for birthdays occurred. The survey from someone living in the home responded that there were usually activities arranged. Observation during the inspection visit showed that routines were flexible and some people opted to remain in their own rooms. Relatives spoken with confirmed that they were able to visit at any time and stated that they were always made to feel welcome. Visitors were observed to be calling
Care Homes for Older People Page 15 of 28 Evidence: throughout the inspection visit. People living at the home also confirmed that visitors were welcome at any time and they were able to go out of the home with their relatives if they wished. One relative spoken with described the home as welcoming and said there were very friendly staff. The home had received information on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, although staff had not received any training on this. However, the nurse in charge said this was due to be organised and that no one in the home had an advocate at the time of the inspection visit. The serving of the lunchtime meal was observed and those people spoken with enjoyed the food. The meals served were well presented and nutritious. The dining area was pleasant and bright and tables were laid with cloths and condiments. People requiring assistance with eating and drinking were helped in a sensitive manner and encouraged to eat. One person said the food was very good, another said it was very, very nice and a relative thought the food looked good when they visited. Staff spoken with were knowledgeable about individual food likes and dislikes and were able to cater for these. Diabetic diets were catered for. Food stocks in the kitchen were good and showed that a balanced diet was available. The survey from someone living in the home responded that they sometimes liked the meals. Care Homes for Older People Page 16 of 28 Complaints and protection
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: If people have concerns with their care, they or people close to them know how to complain. Any concern is looked into and action taken to put things right. The care home safeguards people from abuse and neglect and takes action to follow up any allegations. People’s legal rights are protected, including being able to vote in elections. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. The systems and procedures in place for safeguarding people were clear and ensured that people concerns were listened to objectively and their safety maintained. Evidence: The home had a clear complaints procedure that stated complaints would be investigated within twenty-eight days. The written information supplied by the home stated that no complaints had been received by either the owner or staff at the home since the last inspection visit in June 2008. There had been no complaints received at the office of the Care Quality Commission (previously the Commission for Social Care Inspection). There was a format for recording complaints that showed what action would be taken in response to any complaints received. The survey received from someone living in the home responded that they knew who to speak to informally if they were unhappy but did not know how to make a formal complaint. The survey received from a relative also said they did not know how to make a formal complaint. People spoken with, and their relatives, all said they would talk to the deputy manager or senior staff if they were unhappy and were confident of a courteous response. A safeguarding adults policy and procedure was in place and the home had a copy of
Care Homes for Older People Page 17 of 28 Evidence: the Derby and Derbyshire Local Authority procedures. The homes training record stated that safeguarding training had occurred in May 2009 and staff interviewed confirmed this and were aware of their responsibilities in reporting any potential abuse. The written information supplied by the home stated that there had been no allegations of abuse since the last inspection visit in June 2008. All three staff surveys received responded that they knew what to do if anyone raised concerns about the home. Care Homes for Older People Page 18 of 28 Environment
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People stay in a safe and well-maintained home that is homely, clean, pleasant and hygienic. People stay in a home that has enough space and facilities for them to lead the life they choose and to meet their needs. The home makes sure they have the right specialist equipment that encourages and promotes their independence. Their room feels like their own, it is comfortable and they feel safe when they use it. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. The home was well maintained, which ensured people had safe and comfortable accommodation to live in. Evidence: The home was clean, tidy and odour free at the time of the inspection visit. The kitchen had received a four star rating for food hygiene from the Local Authority Environmental Health Department. The survey received from someone living in the home responded that the home was always fresh and clean. The written information supplied by the home stated that people were encouraged to personalise their rooms. Three peoples bedrooms were seen and these were personalised with private possessions. Bathrooms had appropriate equipment to enable people to use them safely. The laundry was viewed and there were two washers with a sluice wash facility and two driers. All were in working order. People spoken with thought their laundry was done well, although staff commented that communication could be better when new people were admitted to ensure their clothing was identified quickly and returned to
Care Homes for Older People Page 19 of 28 Evidence: the right person. Staff spoken with confirmed that they had undertaken infection control training and there were also certificates on their files that verified this had occurred in March 2008. They were knowledgeable on how to prevent the spread of infection and confirmed that there was always a plentiful supply of protective equipment, such as gloves and aprons. Care Homes for Older People Page 20 of 28 Staffing
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have safe and appropriate support as there are enough competent staff on duty at all times. They have confidence in the staff at the home because checks have been done to make sure that they are suitable to care for them. Their needs are met and they are cared for by staff who get the relevant training and support from their managers. There are no additional outcomes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. There were sufficient, well trained staff to ensure peoples needs were met. Evidence: The duty rota for the week ending 31st May 2009 showed that there were four staff on duty in the morning and three staff in the afternoon with one qualified nurse on duty throughout the day. During the night there was one care worker and one qualified nurse. All three surveys received from staff responded that there were usually enough staff to meet individual needs and the survey from someone living in the home also responded that there were usually enough staff when needed. A visiting professional spoken with stated that they thought staff, particularly nursing staff, do their best under so much pressure and a survey from a visiting professional commented that one thing the home could do better was to employ/retain more trained staff. Three staff files were examined for recruitment information. This showed that a proper recruitment process was in place and that all the information required by the Care Homes Regulations 2001 was in place, including Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks, identity information, two written references and Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) First checks. However, all three POVA First checks were received after the staff had commenced employment. Care Homes for Older People Page 21 of 28 Evidence: The written information supplied by the home stated that eight of eleven care staff had achieved a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 2 or above. It also stated that 20 had achieved a level 3 qualification.The home was therefore meeting the target of having 50 of staff qualified to level 2 or above. Staff spoken with confirmed that mandatory health and safety training took place as well as courses relating directly to care. Training records showed that a course on palliative care had taken place in 2009. However, there were no records to suggest that other care related courses had taken place since the last inspection in June 2008. All three staff surveys received responded that they received training relevant to their role and to help understand individual needs. All three surveys commented that training was an area that the home did well and one said the home train staff to a high standard so that the quality of the care is high. Care Homes for Older People Page 22 of 28 Management and administration
These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have confidence in the care home because it is led and managed appropriately. People control their own money and choose how they spend it. If they or someone close to them cannot manage their money, it is managed by the care home in their best interests. The environment is safe for people and staff because appropriate health and safety practices are carried out. People get the right support from the care home because the manager runs it appropriately with an open approach that makes them feel valued and respected. The people staying at the home are safeguarded because it follows clear financial and accounting procedures, keeps records appropriately and ensures their staff understand the way things should be done. They get the right care because the staff are supervised and supported by their managers. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. Systems were in place to ensure the home was well managed and run in the best interests of people living there. Evidence: The home did not have a registered manager and had not been able to retain one for a substantial period of time. This was discussed with the responsible individual, who described the arrangements to ensure that the home was well run. This included an ongoing recruitment drive for a manager, having a deputy manager in place and support when required from the manager of the owners other home nearby. The responsible individual had developed a quality assurance system that included monthly audits as required by Regulation 26 of the Care Homes Regulations 2001, surveys for people living in the home, their relatives and visiting professionals and audits in areas such as medication, catering and care records. The last surveys undertaken by the service in May 2008 made comments such as impressed with the home, all seems satisfactory and very satisfied with the care.
Care Homes for Older People Page 23 of 28 Evidence: There was a system in place for dealing with peoples personal finances. Three peoples financial records were examined and were accurate. Receipts for individual purchases were available and two people were signing the record. Health and safety issues were generally addressed. A random sample of maintenance records showed that fire fighting equipment was checked in November 2008, fire alarms were checked in February 2009, gas safety in April 2008 and hoists in October 2008. The written information supplied by the home also confirmed this. Care Homes for Older People Page 24 of 28 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, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 25 of 28 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 7 15 There must be a fully completed care plan available for each person in the home. This is to ensure that staff know how to provide the care and so that individual needs can be met. 10/07/2009 2 9 13 Medication administration 10/07/2009 procedures must ensure that controlled drugs are recorded and administered according to legal guidelines. This is to ensure that controlled medicines are administered as prescribed and that they are not misappropriated. 3 29 19 Protection of Vulnerable 10/07/2009 Adults (POVA) First checks must be in place before staff commence employment in the home. Care Homes for Older People Page 26 of 28 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 This is to ensure that suitable staff are employed and that people living in the home are safeguarded. 4 31 8 The responsible individual must continue to make efforts to recruit a manager for the home. This is to ensure that the home is well run and legal requirements are met. 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 11/09/2009 1 9 The home should obtain a copy of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society guidelines on administering medication in social care. Handwritten medication administration record (MAR) charts should be signed by two people and the amount of medicine received should be recorded. All staff should receive training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The home should be pro-active in ensuring that all people living in the home and their relatives know how to make a formal complaint. The home should consider reviewing its procedures when new people are admitted to the home to ensure that laundry is identified quickly to reduce the risk of this being lost and not returned to the right owner. The home should arrange additional courses for staff on care related issues such as dementia, dealing with difficult behaviour and nutrition.
Page 27 of 28 2 9 3 4 14 16 5 26 6 30 Care Homes for Older People 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 Older People Page 28 of 28 - 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!