Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: St Martins Oakhill Park Liverpool Merseyside L13 4BP two star good service 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: 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: St Martins Oakhill Park Liverpool Merseyside L13 4BP 01512280983 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: stmartins@schealthcare.co.uk www.schealthcare.co.uk Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Southern Cross Care Management Limited care home 42 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 42 old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 0 The registered person may provide the following category/ies 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 - Code OP The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 42 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home St Martins is a care home that provides personal and nursing care for forty two older people. The home is situated in the Broadgreen area of Liverpool and is within easy access to bus routes, churches, shops and local amenities. The home is owned by Southern Cross and is managed by Ms Jackie Achilles. St Martins is a purpose built single storey building. There is a car park to the front of the home and residents have the use of an enclosed garden at the rear and also an inner courtyard with seating. All
Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 8 Brief description of the care home bedrooms provide single accommodation and have twenty en-suites facilities. Communal space within the home consists of three lounges and a large dining room. One of the lounges is a designated smoking area. Residents are provided with equipment and aids to assist their mobility and an alarm system with a call bell is operational throughout the building. The fee rate ranges from three hundred and thirty pounds to seven hundred and nineteen pounds a week. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 8 What we found:
We carried out this visit on 9th November 2009 to make sure medicines were being handled safely because at our last inspection we found some shortfalls in the way they were being handled. The visit was carried out by a pharmacist inspector and it lasted five and a half hours. We checked medicines records and stock and spoke with three members of staff and one resident. Overall we found some improvements are needed to help make sure medicines are always handled safely. We checked the medicines records and stock and found they were not always being given to people at the right and best time. The medicines round took over three hours to complete and medicines that needed to be given before food were being given wrongly after food. The general organization of the medicines round meant that medicines were not being given to people at the best time that fitted into their personal daily routines. We gave some advice to the manager about how improvements could be made because receiving medicines at the wrong time can stop them working properly. Records of medicines received into the home were not always complete so it was not always possible to fully account for them. We found medicines contained in boxes and bottles often difficult to audit because they had not been properly carried forward at the beginning of the new monthly medicines cycle. Of the medicines we could check we found the majority added up showing they had been given to people correctly. However, we did find mistakes and gaps on the records that raised concerns about the competence of some staff. The manager agreed that these mistakes had occurred and said that these were probably due to a new member of staff who had not been formally assessed as competent to handle medicines in this home. The manager must make sure all staff have the right training and a good level of competence so that medicines are handled safely at all times. We found four different people within the last month went without some of their medicines because they had run out of stock. One person went without six of their medicines over a three day period and another missed nine of their medicines on one day because they had not been delivered on time. The manager said some of these problems were out of their hands as they had attempted to get these medicines on time but they had failed due to different reasons. Going without medicines can seriously affect a persons health and wellbeing. We checked a sample of care plans and records to make sure medicines were properly reflected in them. Paperwork about peoples health needs such as diabetes and medicines usage were usually clear and up date and visits and contact from professionals such as GPs were normally detailed and up to date. However, we found one persons mental health needs and associated problems had not been fully addressed in their care plan so their was a risk that they might not receive the right amount of support. This person was also looking after their own inhaler to help breathing but this had not been been properly considered so their paperwork was not up to date. Having clear written care plans helps make sure people receive the right amount of support to help meet their needs. We looked at how controlled drugs (medicines that can be misused) were handled and found them to be securely stored. On the day of our visit we observed one controlled
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 8 drug being signed for in advance of it being given, this is not best practice because the record would be inaccurate if the person then refuses or does not have the medicine for some other reason. We checked the rest of the controlled drug records and found them to be accurate and complete. Having secure storage and properly witnessed records helps prevent them being misused and mishandled. The manager carried out regular audits (checks) of the medicines. The most recent audit found no problems with medicines handling and did not highlight the types of mistakes we had found. We gave some advice to the manager about how to make improvements in these audits so that any poor practice is immediately identified and action is taken to help prevent it happening again. 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 Older People 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 9 17 Records of medicine kept and 20/10/2009 administered must be accurate. This is so that all medicines in the home are fully accounted for. 2 29 18 Staff must not commence 25/11/2009 employment prior to a police check being received. This is to ensure the protection of the residents at the home. Care Homes for Older People 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 9 13 Medicines must be given at the right and best time for people. This will help make sure they work properly. 11/12/2009 2 9 13 Accurate records of medicines received into the home and given to people must be kept. This is important so that all medicines can be fully accounted for. 11/12/2009 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 9 Improved procedures for the auditing (checking) of medicines and checking of staff competence should be put in place to help make sure medicines are always handled safely. Care Homes for Older People 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 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. 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 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!
