Care Home: Easterlea

What the care home does well Medications are dispensed from the original boxes and these have a photograph on each box of the service user they are prescribed for.This means that the risk of dispensing the medication to the wrong service user is minimised. What the care home could do better: Those staff recruitment records which need to be made avaliable for inspection at all times need to be made available . A system needs to be implemented so this can happen if the people who have the keys are not present at the service. A review of the arrangements for safekeeping of medications needs to take place as the current arrangement of hanging the keys on a hook is not safe practice. Inspecting for better lives Random inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: Easterlea Hambledon Road Denmead Hampshire PO7 6QG one star adequate 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 assessment of the service. We call this a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed inspection. 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: Kathryn Emmons Date: 1 2 0 1 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Easterlea Hambledon Road Denmead Hampshire PO7 6QG 02392262551 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Mr David Mitchell care home 19 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 19 old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 0 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home only (PC) to service users of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following category : Old age, not falling within any other category (OP) The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is 19 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Easterlea is registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to provide care and support for up to 19 Older People. The home is situated on the outskirts of the village of Denmead in Hampshire and is set back from the busy main road. Accommodation is provided over two floors, ground and first floor and a lift is provided. There are 14 single rooms, 9 of which are en-suite and 2 double rooms, with 1 en-suite. There is a large rear garden, which is accessible through the lounge and parking is available at the front of the home for up to 10 cars. The village centre is a Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 8 Brief description of the care home short distance away where local shops, a post office and GP surgery are situated. The local bus stops a short distance from the home and there is also a local ring and ride bus service available. The weekly fees range from #335.00 to #507.00. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 8 What we found: We visited the service in an unannounced capacity for one hour to look what action had been taken following a requirement made at the last key inspection which took place in June 2008.The requirement was in respect of ensuring a robust recruitment process was in place. On previous inspections requirements have been made as some files did not contain written references or completed application forms with sufficient detail. On this visit we could not access the records as they were locked away. We spoke with the manager on the telephone at that time who confirmed that no new staff had been employed since June 2008 and that the requirement made had been complied with. Three staff who were on duty also confirmed that no new staff had been employed since June 2008. At the last inspection we recorded in the report that medication keys were found to be hanging on a hook just inside the office. We raised this as a potential risk and the manager confirmed that this practice would cease. During this visit we found the medication keys left in the medication cupboard. We discussed this at the time with the manager who said that staff know to carry the keys in their pocket. We informed the care staff in charge that the keys were in the drug cupboard and they removed them and placed them on the hook just inside the office door.This means that service users may be at risk of unauthorised people having access to their medications. 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 4 of 8 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements These requirements were set at the last inspection. They may not have been looked at during this inspection, as a random inspection is short and focussed. The registered person must take the necessary action to comply with these requirements within the timescales set. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 5 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, 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 9 13 arrangements need to be made for the safekeeping of medications. hanging medication cupboard keys on a hook does not minimise the risk of unauthorised people having access to service users medications. 30/01/2009 2 29 17 all staff recruitment records which need to be available for inspection at all times must be made available and accessible. Service users need to be able to be confident that the right checks and recruitment procedures have been put in place so they can be confident they are being cared for by the right people. Lack of access to these records means that satisfactory recruitment procedures could not be demonstrated. 30/01/2009 Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 8 Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service. No. Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 8 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report CSCI 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: 0845 015 0120 or 0191 233 3323 Textphone: 0845 015 2255 or 0191 233 3588 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.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. 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