9 March 2020
During a routine inspection
Springfield Care Home is a residential care home, in a purpose-built building, providing personal care to up to 40 people aged 65 and over. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was not always safe. People were not protected from infection because infection prevention and control measures were not effective.
The environment was poorly maintained and was unclean. Much of the décor and furnishings were old and some items were in a state of disrepair and needed replacing. The provider had commenced a programme of redecoration and refurbishment in both private and communal areas. However, the general cleanliness of the building should be maintained during the refurbishment.
Medicines were not always safely managed. As a result, one person had not received their medicines as prescribed and protocols were not in place for “when required” medication. The audit systems in place to monitor the administration of medicines were not sufficiently robust.
Whilst it was evident that the provider had quality control systems in place, we observed that they did not always result in good care and support, and were therefore not always effective.
There was not always enough staffing to meet people’s needs. People told us that they do not do as many activities as they used to. Also, we observed difficulties with supporting all people appropriately during lunchtime as the available staff were deployed over two floors.
People’s individual risks were managed in a safe way and staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. Risk assessments were completed appropriately, for example around nutrition, pressure sores and mobility.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems at Springfield Care Home supported this practice.
Care records were person centred and contained sufficient information about people’s preferences, specific routines, their life history and interests.
Improvements were required to end of life care planning to meet best practice guidance such as that provided by the Gold Standards Framework.
Staff and the management team were kind, caring and compassionate. People told us that the staff were kind to them and this was confirmed during our observations.
People were supported to maintain a healthy diet by a staff team which knew their individual preferences. People had options regarding their meals and alternatives were provided if required.
People and their representatives were involved in the planning of their care and given opportunities to feedback on the service they received. People’s views were acted upon.
The provider had systems in place to encourage and respond to any complaints or compliments. The provider and management team had good links with the local communities within which people lived.
Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection Springfield Care Home was rated as good. The last inspection report was published on 13 October 2017. At this inspection the home had deteriorated to requires improvement.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Springfield Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.