Care Home: The Meadows

Similar services:

• Claremont House
• Oak Ridge
• Sun Court Nursing Home
• Ashville House
• Bramley Avenue (73)
• Bilney Hall
• Hill Barn
• Mabbs Hall Nursing Home

What the care home does well The home was clean, tidy, attractively furnished and provided a homely environment for people to live in. People were provided with the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities that were of interest to them. What the care home could do better: There were no repeat requirements, new requirements or recommendations made duringthis inspection. However, we received comments from people who lived in the home that were spoken with regarding the meals. The assistant manager confirmed that they would look into the issues and address them to ensure that people were provided with an appetising diet. Random inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: The Meadows Hatchett Village Brybank Road Haverhill Suffolk CB9 7YL one star adequate service 27/01/2010 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: Julie Small Date: 1 0 0 6 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: The Meadows Hatchett Village Brybank Road Haverhill Suffolk CB9 7YL 01440712498 01440762524 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Manager Post Vacant Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Minster Haverhill Limited care home 53 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 53 0 dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: 53 0 53 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 53 The registered person may provide the following categories of service only: Care home with nursing - Code N to service users 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 Dementia - Code DE Physical Disability Code PD Date of last inspection Care Homes for Older People 2 7 0 1 2 0 1 0 Page 2 of 10 Brief description of the care home The Meadows was registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection 1st October 2008. The home is owned and managed by Minster Haverhill Ltd, a subsidiary of Minster Care Management Group, a national company with a large number of care homes. The Meadows is a new care home for frail older adult, older people with a dementia andor a physical disability. The home is situated in a village which is near to Haverhill in Suffolk. The home is a newly built property and the accommodation for people to live in is on the ground and first floor. The second floor of the home is used for staff rooms. The Service User Guide which we were given at the time of the previous key inspection stated that the current fees from £400 per week, it does not give a maximum fee but does state that fees are individually costed around the personal nursing and care needs of the individual person. At this key inspection, the manager told us that there had been no fee changes. Subject to conditions, people are able to bring their pets in with them. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 10 What we found: The unannounced random inspection was undertaken by Regulation Inspector Julie Small Thursday 10th June 2010 from 09:40 to 14:05. The purpose of the random inspection was to check that the home had met the requirements made at the last key inspection 27th January 2010 and following ongoing issues with the homes medication procedures and processes. During the inspection we tracked the care of three people who lived at the home, which included viewing their care records, such as their MAR (medication administration records) charts and care plans. We observed the work practice during the day and we spoke with eight people who lived at the home and six staff members. We also spoke with the homes assistant manager who gave us the requested information promptly and in an open manner. Prior to the inspection the provider had advised us that the manager had left the service and that the home was currently being managed by an operations manager and the assistant manager and that they were actively attempting to recruit a manager for the service. They also told us that a deputy manager had been employed at the home. The assistant manager told us that there were thirty six people who lived at the home at the time of the inspection. The home was fully staffed and the staffing arrangements during the morning shift were two nurses and four carers worked on the ground floor and three carers on the first floor, on the day of the inspection there was an additional carer working on the ground floor. On the afternoon shift one nurse and four carers worked on the ground floor and three carers on the first floor. During the night there was one nurse and two carers on the ground floor and two carers on the first floor. This was confirmed by the staffing rota that was viewed and by the staffing levels that were observed during the day of the inspection. The assistant manager told us that they were considering placing one further carer on the first floor during the morning shifts. Three staff members were spoken with and they told us that they managed the staffing levels to ensure that peoples needs were met by planning the days work. One staff member told us that they were often busy during the morning on the first floor. A staff member told us that the home continued to improve and they were complimentary about the management style of the homes management team. Eight people who lived at the home were spoken with and they told us that their needs were generally met, however, two people told us that there were occasions when their call bells were not answered promptly. During the inspection it was observed that the staff were attentive to the needs of the people that lived at the home, requests for assistance were attended to and call bells were answered promptly. The assistant manager told us that they ensured that call bells were answered promptly to ensure that peoples requests for assistance were addressed. Staff that were spoken with told us that they were provided with regular supervision meetings, which provided them with support and the opportunity to discuss the ways that they were working. This was confirmed in the supervision matrix that was viewed. Staff also told us that they were provided with the training that they needed to meet peoples Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 10 needs, this was confirmed by the homes assistant manager, who told us that there was training courses booked to ensure that the staff were kept up to date with their training and methods of meeting peoples needs. People that lived at the home who were spoken with told us that they felt that the meals could be improved, they told us that there were times when their meals were not hot and that they were not always provided with their chosen meals. They told us that they felt that the quality of their meals varied, one person told us that they had enjoyed the poached egg that was provided with gammon, however, the gammon was very tough. One person said that the roast beef was good. A person said that they had told staff that they could not eat a meal when it did not look appetising and that they were told by staff to eat what you can, rather than offering an alternative. Two people said that they had small appetites and often there was too much food on their plate. The people that were spoken with told us that they felt that there was a lot of waste from the food that was not eaten. During the inspection lunch was a choice of sausage or macaroni cheese and mashed potato and fresh vegetables. We noted that most people had eaten their meals and two people had said that their meal was good and that it was hot enough. One person was moving their macaroni cheese around their plate and they told us that they did not like it. We spoke with the assistant manager about peoples comments about the food and they told us that the people who lived at the home had recently completed a survey about the food in the home and as a result they had changed the menu to ensure that peoples choices were acted upon. They showed us the menu and it was noted that the menu provided people with a varied and balanced diet. The assistant manager told us that the food was served from a hot trolley and that they would ensure that the temperature of the meals when they were served would be monitored. They told us that they were not aware that people were not provided with their chosen meals and would speak with people about this. Two people that were spoken with discussed the issue of communication with a staff member. The assistant manager told us that they were aware of the issue and that actions were being undertaken to ensure that staff used methods of effective communication with the people that lived at the home. People that were spoken with were complimentary about the activities that were provided at the home and they told us about a recent trip to the zoo, which they enjoyed and a fete that they were busy planning. During the inspection we observed the weekly coffee morning, where people chatted to each other about issues that were of interest to them. There were three requirements made at the last key inspection regarding the safe storage and administration of medication to ensure that people were protected by the homes medication procedures and processes. One requirement that was made was that insulin must be stored at the correct temperature when in use as directed on the container. The assistant manager advised us that there were currently no people who lived at the home who were insulin dependent, however, following the last key inspection the insulin that had been used was stored at the correct temperature. A further requirement that was made was to ensure that medication was stored at the correct temperature to maintain therapeutic effect. Since the last key inspection there Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 10 had been an air conditioning system installed in the medication rooms that ensured that medication was stored at the required temperature. The maintenance staff member was spoken with and they clearly explained how the required medication storage temperature was maintained and that the staff that worked in the home undertook regular temperature checks. A further requirement made at the last key inspection was that medication records were required to be complete to indicate that medicines were administered in accordance with the prescribers directions. During this inspection we tracked the care records of three people that lived at the home, which included their MAR (medication administration records) charts. It was noted that the MAR charts were fully completed, which showed where medication had been administered and codes were used to show where medication had not been administered, for example if the person was in hospital or had refused their medication. The assistant manager told us that there were regular audits that were undertaken regarding the safe administration of medication to ensure that people were safeguarded by the homes medication procedures and processes. One person had been prescribed PRN (as required) medication to assist with the management of their behaviour and it was noted that there was a clear PRN protocol and guidance which identified the points of their behaviours that the administration of the PRN medication should be considered and the alternative activities that staff should take to support the person before the medication was administered. There was also a PRN medication document that was completed to identify when the medication had been administered, the reasons for the administration and the post event analysis, which showed that the staff were required to record the reasons for the administration of the medication. The MAR charts for the PRN medication were viewed and it was noted that it had been administered once during a five week period, which showed that the medication was administered when necessary and in the best interests of the person. The persons care plans and risk assessments were viewed and it was noted that they clearly documented the support that they required to assist them with their behaviour. The care plans and risk assessments of three people were viewed and it was noted that the recommended improvements that we had identified in the last key inspection had been addressed, such as the assistance that people needed to support them with their behaviours and the support that people needed to manage their conditions, such as diabetes. The care plans that were viewed clearly identified the support that people required and preferred to meet their assessed needs. They were regularly reviewed and updated where there were changes in peoples assessed needs and preferences. What the care home does well: What they could do better: There were no repeat requirements, new requirements or recommendations made during Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 10 this inspection. However, we received comments from people who lived in the home that were spoken with regarding the meals. The assistant manager confirmed that they would look into the issues and address them to ensure that people were provided with an appetising diet. 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 7 of 10 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 8 of 10 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 Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 10 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 10 of 10 - 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!