Latest Inspection
This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 20th April 2010. CQC found this care home to be providing an Adequate 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 Kirksanton Care Centre.
What the care home does well The service continues to provide care and support for people in a warm, comfortable and homely environment. The different areas of the home have a relaxed and homely atmosphere. People living there are able to bring in their own things to make their rooms more personal and those bedrooms we saw had people`s own possessions and items of significance to them. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet the needs of people currently living in the home. Staff were receiving training relevant to their roles. Almost three quarters of the care staff team have achieved NVQ Level 2 in care and senior staff have level 3. Staff are supported to undertake training and receive suitable induction and basic training. There are now clear procedures in place for training and assessing the competence of staff who undertake delegated tasks needed for an individual`s care that are more specialised or `invasive`. This helps make sure such tasks are done safely. Overall, the service has made good progress and has improved the way medicines are managed to keep residents safe and well. Records are mostly accurate and, along with a stock take of medicines, shows that residents receive their medicines correctly. We found that care plans were more specific to provide staff with better guidance and strategies to help people manage their conditions and behaviours making them more individual and useful. Greater consideration was also being given to improving social opportunities for people in the way they said they wanted. Activities were taking place and people were happy with the meals provided What the care home could do better: Following the last inspection in December 2009 we made 3 requirements for improvement and also good practice recommendations. Although improvements had been made to meet the 3 requirements made at the December visit we found one care plan that would still benefit from review to provide more guidance on the management of health care problems so that the care provided is safe, effective and consistent. Further work is needed on this for the management of epilepsy. Whilst records of medicine administration are good staff should record the time of administration of `when required` medicines so that the correct interval is kept to if the dose is repeated. The register for controlled drugs should also be up-to-date at all times. The practice of mixing medicines from different packs should stop as this places residents at risk of harm if mistakes are made. Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Kirksanton Care Centre Kirksanton Care Centre Kirksanton Millom Cumbria LA18 4NN one star adequate service 01/12/2009 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: Marian Whittam Date: 2 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Kirksanton Care Centre Kirksanton Care Centre Kirksanton Millom Cumbria LA18 4NN 01229772868 01229774015 enquiries@guardian-care.com www.guardiancarehomes.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Christine Munroe Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Guardian Care Homes (UK) Limited care home 45 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 25 dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 45 0 The registered person may provide the following categories of service only. Care home only - code PC, to people 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: 25) Dementia Code DE The maximum number of people who can be accommodated is: 45 Date of last inspection 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 9 Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home Kirksanton Care Centre is owned by Guardian Care Homes. This company own other residential and nursing homes in England. The home has three distinct areas. The original house has been renovated to accommodate up to 10 people who have dementia. This part of the building is known as The Croft. Not all of these bedrooms have ensuite facilities but all have bathrooms near to the bedrooms. This area has two lounges for shared use. The home also has a more modern annex built on to the original building where up to 25 older people -- who may or may not have dementia -are accommodated. This area has a large lounge and a dining room. Some rooms in this part of the building have ensuite bathrooms, others have washbasins only. The Mews building is connected to this central part of the home. Younger people with a diagnosis of alcohol related dementia (Korsakoffs syndrome) live in this Mews building. The Mews is set out as self-contained apartments with their own lounge/kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. There is a lounge where people may smoke and a small kitchen and dining area. Information about the service can be obtained from the home, its Statement of Purpose and service guide or from the providers website. Charges for care range from 384 pounds per week to 577 pounds per week but this home has a very individualised charging system that depends on the level of dependency of each person. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 9 What we found:
We made an unannounced visit to this service on 20th April 2010 between the hours of 09.00 and 13.00. We toured the home, observed what was happening, and spoke with some of the people living in the home, the staff and the registered manager. We visited the home to assess and monitor their progress in complying with the requirements we made at the last key inspection we did on 1st December 2009 and make sure that there had been no decrease in the standard of service for people living in the home. The manager had already provided us with an improvement plan outlining the actions they were taking to comply with the requirements made. We looked at the care plans and assessments of the people living in the Mews and spent time with them. We carried out a pharmacy inspection to assess medication handling and management. There were 25 people living in the home on the day of our visit and 7 of those were living in the Mews in their own flats. There were two support workers on duty to care in the Mews and one was a senior carer. In addition there were maintenance, housekeeping, catering staff and the manager and her deputy were on duty. We saw that the home was running smoothly, people had been cared for that morning, were appropriately dressed and spending time in the lounges, the garden or in their bedrooms as they chose. The manager showed us the new documentation they had introduced, to make care planning more person centered, and to strengthen risk assessments and care management planning. These were to provide clearer guidance and strategies for staff managing individuals specific conditions and behaviours. These showed a clear improvement and more information to guide staff in managing behaviours and in evaluating the actions being taken. The activity co-coordinator continued to provide activities during the week, and we saw the programme advertising these. A newsletter now helps people keep up to date with what is going on in the home. We looked at the revised care plans and peoples social assessments and preferences and looked at what things they said they wanted to do for recreation. We looked at the records of this and peoples own comments. People were being supported to establish outside interests and community contacts as they said they wanted. We found that greater consideration and emphasis was being given to individuals personal aspirations and expectations. Detailed life stories and social assessments were in place and reflected what people said and records indicated was the case. We could see that people were being consulted on their care planning and on their social lives. When we talked to people they told us what they enjoyed and had been doing. We looked at training records to make sure that when staff carried out any specialist or invasive techniques, whilst supporting people, they had completed formally assessed training to make sure they were competent. Training given by the District Nurse was
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 9 formally documented, within a competency framework, contained in appropriate policies and procedures and subject to review. This helps make sure that the senior care staff carrying out specialist procedures are able to do so safely. We did not carry out a full inspection at this time, and carry forward the good practice recommendations made last time, for consideration at the next full inspection. What the care home does well: What they could do better:
Following the last inspection in December 2009 we made 3 requirements for improvement and also good practice recommendations. Although improvements had been made to meet the 3 requirements made at the December visit we found one care plan that would still benefit from review to provide more guidance on the management of health care problems so that the care provided is safe, effective and consistent. Further work is needed on this for the management of epilepsy. Whilst records of medicine administration are good staff should record the time of administration of when required medicines so that the correct interval is kept to if the dose is repeated. The register for controlled drugs should also be up-to-date at all times. The practice of mixing medicines from different packs should stop as this places residents at risk of harm if mistakes are made. Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 9 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 7 It is recommended that care plans for managing individual health care problems are always sufficently detailed so that staff have clear guidance to follow to manage medical conditions safely and effectively. t is highly recommended that staff document the times that when required medicines are given to make sure that the correct time interval between doses is kept to. The controlled drugs register should be kept up-to-date at all times. It is strongly recommended that medicines from different packets are not be mixed as this places residents at risk from mistakes. 2 9 3 4 9 9 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!
