The inspection took place on 17 and 21 September 2018 and was unannounced. Meadow House Residential Home 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.
Meadow House Residential Home provides accommodation for up to 24 people, including people living with dementia care needs. At the time of our inspection, there were 24 people living in the home.
There was a registered manager at the home. 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.
When we completed our previous inspection of the service in September 2017, we found concerns relating to; people being treated with dignity and respect, gaining people’s consent in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and a lack of effective quality assurance processes. At this inspection, we found the provider had taken action to make some improvements in these areas, however we identified they continued to lack effective systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service.
Although most areas of the service were clean, we identified certain areas which posed a risk of infection and contamination due to ineffective cleaning in damaged areas.
People’s medicines were stored securely; however, they were not always stored at the right temperature. Medicine administrated records were not always completed effectively to ensure that people received their medicines safely.
Actions had not been taken to ensure that there were adequate fire safety arrangements within the home.
There were quality assurance systems in place based on a range of audits. However, we found these were not always effective and had not identified the concerns raised during the inspection.
People felt safe living at Meadow House. Staff knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse.
Recruitment procedures were in place to ensure that suitable staff were employed by the service.
People received care and support from staff who were suitably qualified, skilled and knowledgeable to carry out their roles effectively.
New staff completed a comprehensive induction programme and all staff were suitably supported in their roles.
People praised the standard of care delivered and the quality of the meals. Dietary needs were met and people received appropriate support to eat and drink.
People were supported to access healthcare services when needed and to attend hospital appointments.
People were cared for with dignity and respect and were treated in a kind and caring way by staff. Staff knew people well and encouraged people to remain as independent as possible.
Staff protected people's privacy and responded promptly when people's needs or preferences changed.
They involved people in the care planning process and kept family members up to date with any changes to their relative's needs.
Staff interacted with people in a polite and positive way. They spoke about people warmly and demonstrated a detailed knowledge of them as individuals and what was important to them.
People received personalised care and support that met their needs. Care plans provided staff with detailed information about how they should support people in an individualised way.
Where people’s need changed, staff were responsive to ensuring they received effective care.
People had the opportunity to access to a range of suitable activities. There was an appropriate complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.
There was an open and transparent culture in the home. Relatives could visit at any time and were made welcome.
Staff were happy in their work and felt supported by management of the service.