Latest Inspection
This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 2nd June 2010. CQC found this care home to be providing an Excellent service.
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.
For extracts, read the latest CQC inspection for Birchwood.
What the care home does well Provides good support to service users with their healthcare, which includes making appropriate links with external professionals. Provides a good range of activities that are in line with residents` needs. Strive to continually involve residents and their relatives in their care and all aspects of life in the home. Ensure that residents are in touch, and remain integrated with their community.Provides a good package of training and support for staff to carry out their roles and functions. Provides a clean and homely environment for its residents. Carry out good and extensive quality monitoring in all aspects of the service provision. Employ sound management systems and practices that safeguard residents from the risk of harm from abuse. This includes health and safety and financial management systems. What the care home could do better: The registered manager should review the internal medication audit system to determine its robustness for identifying incorrectly dispensed medication. Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Birchwood 406 Clayhall Avenue Clayhall Ilford Essex IG5 0TA three star excellent 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: Stanley Phipps Date: 0 2 0 6 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Birchwood 406 Clayhall Avenue Clayhall Ilford Essex IG5 0TA 02085512400 02085517511 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: www.sanctuary-care.co.uk Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Julie Taylor Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Sanctuary Care Ltd care home 44 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 44 old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 0 44 elderly people who may have physical or sensory disabilities or mental frailty related to the ageing process, but who are not mentally ill, within the meaning of the Mental Health Act. Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Birchwood is a 44 bedded home for older people, which is owned and run by Sanctuary Care Limited. It is set on two floors and provides accommodation and personal care on a twenty-four hour basis, to both permanent and respite residents. The bed allocated for respite care
Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home is situated on the ground floor. Each floor has named sections e.g. on the first floor Rosewood, Mayfair and Penthouse, while the ground floor has Hollywood and Woodlands. The home is situated in a residential area in Barkingside, close to local amenities, with satisfactory access to transport systems. All residents have the benefit of single bedrooms, ten of which have en-suite facilities and the home is accessible to wheelchair users. Birchwood is well maintained, and is made homely by the management and staff team. There is a well-kept garden designed for the residents? enjoyment. The fees are charged at £498.95 per week with additional charges for: hairdressing between £7.00 and £20.00, private chiropody (£13.00), theatre (£5.00), newspapers and holidays (variable). Private dentists and opticians were also variable and are means tested in line with NHS policy. The homes statement of purpose is made available to all residents on request and, they are given a copy of the service users guide once they make a decision to live at Birchwood. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 9 What we found:
This was a random inspection undertaken on the 2/6/2010 under the revised guidance given by the Commission. The service had prior to the visit been rated as an excellent service and we considered the information provided in their detailed Annual Quality Assurance Assessment. It is on this basis that a random inspection was carried out instead of a key inspection. In this respect we found that the services provided remained at an excellent standard and that the registered persons worked consistently in trying to develop the service with residents at the centre. Given the fact that a new manager was now running the home, we focused our attention on the management group of outcomes. On the day of the visit the registered manager was on leave. However, the service was being operated in a smooth manner under the direction of the deputy manager. The former manager and the administrator assisted with the inspection process and this ensured that there was little or no disruption to the service provision. Following the inspection a discussion was held with the registered manager about the service. Visitors and residents spoken to on the day commented positively about the management of the service. There was a clear audit trail to indicate that the registered manager placed a high emphasis on monitoring the quality of the service, which involved obtaining feedback from residents in areas such as: food, activities, privacy and dignity, communication, environment and care and support. There were also monthly care plan audits, an overall monthly service quality audit, a care and activities satisfaction survey, a laundry and housekeeping feedback survey, a menu feedback questionnaire along with the Regulation 26 monthly provider monitoring visits. The monitoring of the service was comprehensive and targeted almost every aspect of the service delivery. It was evident that every effort was made to keep the service operating at a high standard. In discussion with residents, two raised concerns about the service, the first of which involved a lack of consultation around a change in the need for staff having to wear uniforms. The inspector saw evidence of minutes of a meeting held with residents that did not indicate that they were consulted about this issue, but rather told that it was going to happen. Although most of the residents seemed to have warmed to the change, which had been fairly recent, they should have been encouraged to feel a part of this change. Since then, the manager has reportedly written to all service users about this matter offering them an opportunity to discuss any concerns they have with it. The feedback has been that most, if not all the residents were finding the change, a positive one. The concerns raised by the other resident related to: her preference of carers, concerns that her medication had not been reviewed and the way in which some carers communicated with her. At the time of writing this report the registered manager gave the assurance that two of the issues have been addressed and that the staff communication issue would be followed up. She also reported that the resident in question was happy with the outcomes so far. Judging from the interventions initiated by the manager following the site visit, it is reasonable to conclude that feedback from residents was central to service operations. Residents could therefore feel assured that their concerns would be acted upon in a swift and timely manner.
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 9 It was noted that systems were in place for safely supporting residents with their finances. This included regular monitoring and keeping of financial records including external audits, having a clear and updated finance policy and a safe storage system for securing valuables held on residents behalf. An administrator is place charged with the overall responsibility of managing the homes financial operations and she has a wealth of experience in this area. Support is available for residents with the ability and desire to manage their finances, which is positive. The service has an Annual Operating Plan from which monthly accounts and reports are produced in the management and monitoring of finances. There were no concerns raised by residents or their relatives with regards to the homes management of finances. A wide range of health and safety documents/records were examined during the course of the visit, most of which were comprehensively maintained. They covered all aspects of safety in the home to include gas, electrical, and fire safety. A maintenance officer is involved in many of the safety checks and his work is monitored by the registered manager on a regular basis. A good record of accidents and incidents was maintained as were risk assessments for residents, the building and various forms of equipment used in the home. All staff had updated health and safety training, which is also an area that is closely monitored. However, on the day of the visit the call point testing log showed gaps in the frequency in which they should have been recorded. The practice identified was unsafe and the registered manager has since informed that this has been corrected and routinely carried out weekly on a Wednesday. There was one observation in the handling of a medication error, in which all the appropriate steps were taken to safeguard the resident from coming to harm. Credit must be given to the resident for her awareness of the medication that was prescribed for her. However, the registered manager should have, amongst all the other actions put in place, reviewed how the drugs following delivery, got past the homes internal audit of medication. The Commission would expect that incorrectly dispensed medication is picked up at this stage, rather than at the stage of reaching the client. This should be looked into. In concluding, it was clear that residents continued to receive a very high standard of service, despite having a new manager on board. There was evidence that the manager has the support of her staff team and her line manager. She reportedly operates an open door policy, holds regular staff meetings, involves staff to contribute the service improvements, all of which would go a long way into continuing to produce positive outcomes for the residents living at Birchwood. What the care home does well:
Provides good support to service users with their healthcare, which includes making appropriate links with external professionals. Provides a good range of activities that are in line with residents needs. Strive to continually involve residents and their relatives in their care and all aspects of life in the home. Ensure that residents are in touch, and remain integrated with their community.
Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 9 Provides a good package of training and support for staff to carry out their roles and functions. Provides a clean and homely environment for its residents. Carry out good and extensive quality monitoring in all aspects of the service provision. Employ sound management systems and practices that safeguard residents from the risk of harm from abuse. This includes health and safety and financial management systems. 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 6 of 9 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 Older People Page 7 of 9 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 9 The registered manager should review the internal medication audit system to determine its robustness for identifying incorrectly dispensed medication. Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 9 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. © 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 Older People Page 9 of 9 - 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!
