Care Home: Stonecross Nursing Home

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What the care home does well The service continues to provide a good level of care and support for people in a warm, comfortable and clean environment. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet the needs of people currently living in the home. Staff felt well supported by the new management arrangements and plans were being made to provide further staff training and supervision. The manager had plans for improving documentation and introducing a more person centred care approach. Activities were taking place and people were happy with the meals provided. Overall management of the home was good and people had confidence that this would continue. What the care home could do better: Following the last inspection in June 2009 we made good practice recommendations that the medicines policies and procedures should be updated, staff should have regular supervision sessions, and some bedroom carpets should be replaced. In light of the recent changes in the management arrangements we will review these at the next full inspection. The new manager must apply to be registered with the commission. Random inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: Stonecross Nursing Home Milnthorpe Road Kendal Cumbria LA9 5HH two star good service 03/06/2009 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: Jenny Donnelly Date: 0 5 0 1 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Stonecross Nursing Home Milnthorpe Road Kendal Cumbria LA9 5HH 01539721673 01539730752 stonecrosscare@btconnect.com Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Stonecross Care Limited Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : care home 38 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 38 dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 5 0 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home with nursing: Code N, 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: 38). Dementia: Code DE (maximum number of places: 5). The maximum number of people who can be accommodated is: 38. Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Stonecross is registered to offer general nursing care for up to 38 older people, including 5 people with dementia cared for in a separate unit. The home tends to run Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 8 0 3 0 6 2 0 0 9 Brief description of the care home at 36 places as double bedrooms are generally let singly. Stonecross Care Ltd operated the home, but went into administration in October 2009. The service is currently being operated by Healthcare Management Solutions (HCMS). The registered manager left the home in December 2009 and Mr Marcus Dresh was appointed as the new manager and took up post on 14th December 2009. The building is a three storey Victorian town house, set in the outskirts of Kendal. It has been adapted for its current use by the installation of a passenger lift, grab rails, and an extension to the rear. The home now has 34 single, and 2 double bedrooms. There is a large lawned garden to the rear of the home, but as this has a steep gradient, it is not easily accessible to people, but is pleasant to look at. There are patio areas with seating and sunshades where people can sit out. The weekly fees at the time of this inspection ranged from £524.00 to £706.00. The home had information for prospective residents and their families, in the form of a statement of purpose, a service user guide and previous inspection reports. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 8 What we found: We made an unannounced visit to this service on 5th January 2010 between the hours of 10.30 and 12.30. We toured the home, observed what was happening, and spoke with some of the people living in the home, the staff and the new manager. The company that operated this service went into administration in October 2009 and the registered manager left in December 2009. The reason for this inspection was to check that the service was functioning well under the new management arrangements, and that there was no decrease in the standard of service for people living in the home. Mr Marcus Dresh had been appointed as the manager, and had been in post for three weeks at the time of our visit. Mr Dresh told us he intends to apply for registration with the commission. There were 25 people living in the home on the day of our visit and there were two nurses and four care staff on duty to care for them. In addition there were maintenance, housekeeping, catering staff and the manager. We saw that the home was running smoothly, people had been cared for that morning, were appropriately dressed and spending time in the lounges or in their bedrooms as they chose. The manager showed us some new documentation he planned to introduce, to make care planning more person centred, and to strengthen risk assessments for medication, pain, falls and use of bed rails. Staff said they were keen to take these new ideas on board. The activity co-coordinator continued to provide activities three days a week, and we saw the list advertising these. There had been a number of events for people over the Christmas period. We spoke with the chef who told us there had been some change in food suppliers since the service went into administration, and changes to kitchen staff hours. The new system was working well at this time. The manager told us he intended to consult with people living in the home and review menus in line with their wishes. The manager said he had not received any complaints since he came into post, and none have been made to the commission. The manager and staff were aware of local safeguarding procedures and told us they had no concerns at present. People in the home told us they were all right and no complaints were made during our visit. We walked around the home, and despite the very cold weather, the home was warm, clean and comfortable. Housekeeping and maintenance staff were going about their duties. The conservatory was closed off for the winter, as it has no heating. The manager was reviewing staff files and auditing what training had taken place when, so he could devise a suitable training plan for the coming year. He was also planning staff supervision sessions which he hoped to link with a new key worker scheme. There had been some reduction in staffing in line with occupancy levels. Staff we spoke with said the new arrangements were manageable and we saw that people were being attended to and not kept waiting unduly. Work had been organised and allocated so staff knew what was expected of them and the atmosphere was calm. Staff told us there was no problem with getting the equipment and supplies they needed. Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 8 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: 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 £ 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 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 31 8 The new home manager must apply for registration with the Care Quality Commission. To confirm they have the necessary skills and experience to run the service. 01/04/2010 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 Medicine policies and procedures should be updated to reflect current practice in the home for the disposal of unwanted medicines, and there should be procedures in place for people to manage their own medicines if they wish to. The worn bedroom carpets should be replaced to provide people with a safe and pleasant bedroom. All staff, including the manager, should receive regular supervision to help them do their job well, identify training needs and develop their skills. 2 3 24 36 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. 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