Archived: Green Heys Care Home

Updated 11 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out our inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. Our inspection checked whether the provider was 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by two inspectors and two Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Green Heys is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We weren’t always able to speak directly with people because of their communication and understanding difficulties. To gain an insight into people’s experience of the care and support provided, we made observations and spoke to twelve relatives. We spoke with four members of staff, the clinical lead nurse and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at additional information the provider sent to us in response to the concerns raised at the inspection.

Updated 11 December 2019

About the service

Green Heys Care Home is registered to provide nursing and personal care for up to 39 people. At the time of the inspection there were 28 people living at the service. Green Heys is a purpose-built single-story building. The service consists of two units and provides care to older people living with dementia.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

At the last inspection, we found the service to be in breach of 'Good governance,' which was a breach of Regulation17 of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities Regulations) 2014. This was because audits did not identify all of the concerns highlighted during our inspection.

At this inspection we checked to see if improvements had been made. Although improvements had been made, not enough had been done to meet the breach.

Although regular checks and audits were carried out to determine the quality and safety of the environment and the care being provided, they had not always identified and actioned our concerns.

High numbers of accidents and incidents were recorded and it was not always evident what action had been taken to address this and minimise risk to people.

People's care plans did not always contain current information.

We have made a recommendation about updating care records to reflect people's current needs.

There weren’t always enough activities developed and facilitated for people. Although some activities were offered, we observed a significant amount of people’s time was spent sat in various lounges with the radio or TV on.

Staff provided support to people where required whilst also maintaining their independence.

People and their relatives had confidence in the staff who took care of them. People received care from staff who were caring and had developed positive relationships with the people they were caring for. Staff were kind and compassionate and knew people's individual needs, routines and preferences well.

People were supported in such a way that allowed them 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 in the service supported this practice.

Staff were supported in their role with appropriate training and supervision. Most staff had received additional training to meet the specific needs of the people they were caring for.

Feedback about the management of the home from people, their relatives and staff was positive. The registered manager and registered provider had met their legal requirements with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection, the service was rated "Requires improvement" (Report published September 2018) and there was a breach of regulation. The registered provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection, although we found some improvement had been made, the provider remained in breach of regulation.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about high numbers of incidents concerning people. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for 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.