Care Home: The Heatherfield

Annual service review Name of Service: The Heatherfield The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 1 4 0 1 2 0 0 9 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 We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Elizabeth Gaffney Date of this annual service review: 2 2 0 1 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: Lee Street Annitsford Northumberland NE23 7RD 01912504848 01912502424 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia physical disability Conditions of registration: DAV Developments Limited Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 20 34 0 Three people can be admitted between the age of 60 and 65 years within the DE category of registration Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the Yes service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service The Heatherfield is a purpose built home located in Annitsford. The home provides accommodation on two floors, both of which have lounges, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as toilet and bathroom facilities. The home is registered to provide care for older people with dementia care needs and people under 65 who have a physical disability. Local shops, pubs and transport links are easily accessible. There are lifts to the first floor. Yes. A new manager has been appointed. 1 4 0 1 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection. This included: * The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service as well as information about how the service is meeting the National Minimum Standards; * Surveys returned to us by people using the service and from other people with an interest in the service; * Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints; * What the home has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement; * The previous key inspection and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service in the last 12 months; * Relevant information from other organisations; * What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? Heatherfield sent us their AQAA when we asked for it. It was well completed and gave us all the information we asked for. We looked at the information in the AQAA and our judgement is that Heatherfield is still providing a good service. However, there are issues which the new management team needs to address to ensure that the home continues to offer good quality care. The homes AQAA told us that: * They have a comprehensive service user guide which is available in the main reception area. This helps to make sure that people have enough information to make a decision about whether they wish to live at the home; * People are encouraged to visit the home before they move in. This helps people to find out about the services on offer at the home and to meet with other service users and the staff; * Improvements have been made to the way in which End of Life care is provided. Staff have been provided with training in palliative care; * Each person has a care plan and risk assessments are completed to help keep people safe; Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 * Arrangements are in place to ensure that medication is handled safely; * A programme of individual and group activities are provided. This helps to make sure that people are able to participate in stimulating and fulfiling lives; * People are provided with opportunities to take a healthy diet within a pleasant setting. Pictorial menus have been introduced to help people with dementia make an informed choice about what they want to eat; * There are satisfactory arrangements to maintain the home in a good condition; * Staff receive the training they need to do their job. This helps to make sure that people are cared for by staff who know how to meet their needs; * Staff are subject to robust recruitment and selection procedures which help to make sure that only suitable staff are employed at the home; * The Company has a safeguarding policy and procedure. Staff have received training in how to keep people safe. The home has received fifteen complaints, thirteen of which have been upheld. Two others are in the process of being addressed. With regards to one of these, the Care Quality Commission considered the providers initial response to the complainants concerns to be inadequate. The home also failed to notify the local authoritys safeguarding team of the concerns raised by the complainant. The provider was asked to review its findings and share the outcome with the complainant. The AQAA identified that the majority of the homes policies and procedures have not been reviewed since 2007. This means that staff may not have access to the latest advice and guidance. The AQAA demonstrates that the home has clear plans for further improving the care and facilities it offers. Professionals who returned surveys said: Staff are helpful, the home is clean and odour free, and the meals look good. The home provides a good quality and pleasant environment and delivers care that meets the specific needs of people using the service. The home now has an appropriately qualified and experienced manager who is working to improve standards. Staff are welcoming and have a good knowledge of peoples needs. However, there is a significant shortage of registered mental nurses. The new manager is taking steps to rectify this situation. Service users who returned surveys said that they receive the support and care they need and staff are available when you need them. However, one service user said that extra staff are needed at night times as they cannot go out because there are not enough staff on duty. Service users also said that staff listen to them and act on what they say and make sure that they receive the medical care they require. Service users said that there are usually activities that they can take part in and they like the food served in the home. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 The majority of staff who returned surveys said that they are given up to date information about peoples needs and have enough support, experience and knowledge to care for people. Most staff also said that their induction covered everything they needed to know to do their job. They said that their training in relevant to their role, helps them to understand the needs of people using the service, and provides them with enough information about health care and medication. They also said that there are generally enough staff on duty to meet peoples needs. Individual staff said: The home has a good staff team which works well together. Staff have taken to the new manager which is nice as we have been without one for a long time. The home could do with more staff and should use less agency workers. The homes laundry should be turned around quicker. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? The next key inspection of the service will take place by 01 December 2012. We will monitor the homes response to the issues referred to in this Annual Service Review and may choose to carry out a random inspection to check the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. 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