Care Home: The Barn Heath Farm

What the care home does well Regular weekly checks of medication administration are made by senior management to ensure that residents received medicines correctly. Detailed care plans with up to date comprehensive information about medication. What the care home could do better: Install a system to check the prescription before it is dispensed by the pharmacy to ensure medicines received into the home from the outset are correct and correlate to the requests made by the home. Inspecting for better lives Random inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: The Barn Heath Farm Heath Road Scopwick Lincoln LN4 3JD new service which has yet to be given a quality rating 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: Mathias Foundling-Miah Date: 1 2 0 3 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: The Barn Heath Farm Heath Road Scopwick Lincoln LN4 3JD 01526320312 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: cathpartington@autismcare.co.uk Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Autism Care (UK) Limited care home 10 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: 10 The maximum number of people who can be accommodated is: 10 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care Home Code PC to people of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Learning disability LD. Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home The Barn is located near to the village of Scopwick, and is approximately 10 miles from the town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire. It is part of a complex of services, which include three other registered homes and a main administration centre on the same site. In the village of Scopwick there is a village shop and pub, and nearby Sleaford offers a good range of shops and other amenities. The Barn was previously registered as a part of a wider complex of services, but has now become registered as a separate service. It is registered for 11 people who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder and a learning disability. The accommodation is a spacious Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 8 Brief description of the care home two-storey building, which offers a range of living and recreational areas. The Barn is owned by Autism Care (UK), and the Responsible Individual for the service is Mrs Maggie Sykes. Alix Shinkins is the Registered Manager. The Registered Manager told us that the current fees for the service range from £2101.70 per week to £6616.48 per week. Information about these costs and the dayto-day operation of the home, including a copy of the last inspection report, is available from the main office of the home. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 8 What we found: During the inspection the Registered Manager Mr Pete Wakelin had a good knowledge of the medicines and the medication systems they handled enabling them to fully support the people living in the home. Regular weekly checks of medication administration are made by senior management to ensure that people living in the service received medicines correctly. The Registered Manager has installed a robust auditing system to ensure that all the medicines are administered as prescribed at all times. The home has duplicate copies of the current MAR charts which are signed by the second carer to witness that medication has been administered and signed by the first carer. Sample audits of medication for three out of the ten people living in the service indicated that the medicines are administered as the doctor prescribed. Sample MAR charts examined were up to date for each person in service and medicines received, administered and disposed of are recorded. Sample examinations of MAR charts were found to be signed when medicines were administered or appropriately coded with reason at the back of the MAR chart when not administered. When people are prescribed medicines on a when required basis there was clear protocols in place in the detailed care plans which were verified by the relevant prescriber when they were required to be administered. Accurate when required recordings were made with reasons on the MAR chart. This indicated a consistent approach by staff, ensuring medication is used appropriately protecting people from harm. During the inspection we conducted an audit of some medicines available for administration, there were generally adequate supplies of medication and these were found to be correct. The quantities of all medicines received were recorded and any balances carried forward from previous cycles were also recorded. A clear audit trail was demonstrated, that medicines are administered as prescribed. During discussions with the registered Manager we were informed of discrepancies found after medicines were received into the home. The home documented and actively sends by fax details to the relevant GPs requiring clarification of ambiguous, as directed or requiring additional medicine instructions to enable accurate administration of medication to people in service. We examined some of the new MAR charts for the next cycle to confirm that these changes have been made. However we found the quantity of two medicines printed on the MAR chart did not correspond to the correct amount supplied. The home did not recognise or initiate a response with the supplying pharmacy regarding the erroneous quantity printed on the MAR chart when medicines were received into the home. The home has also requested part way through the month further supplies of regular medications insufficient for the whole month. The home was informed that a system must be installed to check the prescription before it is dispensed by the pharmacy to ensure that the correct medication, quantity, dose, frequency and directions requested is received into the home. Sufficient time Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 8 must be allowed if any discrepancies are to be addressed with the healthcare professional before the next cycle of medicines are commenced, which would help improve these issues. The home was informed to ensure correct procedures are followed of signing the MAR chart after administering medication as one member of staff was unclear of this process. During the inspection we found personal and home belongings in the medicine cupboards. We informed the home only medicines must be securely stored in the designated medicine cupboards this to reduce the risk of mal-administration and theft. The home removed all home and personal belongings during inspection. Feed back was provided and the Registered Manager Mr Pete Wakelin agreed to action promptly and make the necessary improvements. We were verbally assured that the home will continue to regularly audit check that staff handle medication correctly and maintain the improved level of medicine management, to safeguard the health and welfare of people living in their home. 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 Adults (18-65 years) 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 Adults (18-65 years) 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 20 13 A system must be installed 30/04/2009 to check the prescription before it is dispensed by the pharmacy to ensure that the correct medication, quantity, dose, frequency and directions requested is received into the home. To safeguard the health and welfare of people living in the service 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 20 Sufficient time allowed if any discrepancies are to be addressed with the healthcare professional and pharmacy before the next cycle of medicines are commenced. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) 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 Adults (18-65 years) 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. 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