Archived: Stanley Burn

Updated 12 May 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11February 2015 and was unannounced.

The inspection team comprised of one inspector and a specialist advisor with a background in occupational therapy.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information they had returned on this form and also looked at the notifications we had received from the provider about incidents, such as serious injuries, and other information we held within the Commission about the service.

We contacted the local authority commissioners and safeguarding vulnerable adults’ team and the clinical commissioning group, as well as the local Healthwatch organisation. Local Healthwatch teams have been set up across England to act as independent consumer champions to strengthen people’s voices in influencing local health and social care services. They gave us their feedback about the service people received.

During the inspection we spoke with five people using the service, the manager and four staff. We examined four people’s care records, three staff recruitment and training records and other records associated with managing the service, such as health and safety checks, medicines records and various policies and procedures. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 12 May 2015

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 February 2015 and was unannounced. The last inspection of the service was carried out on 8 August 2014. The service was compliant with all the regulations we examined at that time.

Stanley Burn is a care home that provides accommodation, care and support to a maximum of 40 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. Seventeen people were accommodated at Stanley Burn at the time of our visit.

The service did not have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. A new manager had been appointed and they were in the process of applying to the Commission to be registered with us.

The service was not entirely safe because of shortfalls in risk assessments for some aspects of people’s care and delays in maintenance work being carried out on the premises. Staff understood the principles of keeping people safe and staffing levels were adequate. The recruitment procedures the provider had in place helped to ensure only suitable staff were employed. Medicines were being managed safely. The home had adaptations and equipment to meet people’s needs although some of these were not entirely suitable.

Staff were trained and supported to care for people effectively. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards were followed. There were shortfalls in equipment and record keeping in relation to meeting people’s mobility and nutritional needs.

Staff were caring in their approach and people and families told us they felt involved and consulted about their care. People’s privacy and dignity were respected.

The manager was actively reviewing people’s care to ensure that their needs were fully met. New activities had been introduced to offer people exercise and stimulation to enhance their wellbeing. People told us and our observations confirmed that they could make choices. Suggestions were welcomed and complaints and concerns were investigated and responded to.

A new management team had been introduced at the service and people and staff spoke highly about this. Action plans were in place for bringing about necessary improvements. New quality assurance processes had been introduced, including audits, surveys and relative’s meetings.

We identified three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. These related to safety and suitability of the premises, safety and suitability of equipment and records. The action we have asked the provider to take can be found at the back of the full version of this report.