Hen Cloud House

Hen Cloud House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 66 people. The service provides support to older people, some who may have a diagnosis of dementia, a physical disability, or a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were 43 people using the service.

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

People’s risks were not always managed safely. The management of medicines required improving and lessons were not always learned when things went wrong. Staff did not always feel there were enough staff to meet people’s needs effectively.

There was no registered manager in post. The governance systems in place were not effective to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Some records needed reviewing and updating and were not always person centred. Staff said they did not always know how to effectively meet people’s needs.

There was not always sufficient time or support to allow people to follow their interests or provide engagement opportunities. Records were not always person centred. Engagement with people, relatives and staff needed improving. There was a complaints policy in place although some people did not know how to make a complaint.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; however, the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

People were protected from abuse. People were protected from the risk of infection. Staff demonstrated a kind and caring approach which respected people’s privacy and dignity.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 2 March 2023 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicine management, staffing levels and the health and wellbeing of people living at Hen Cloud House. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to regulation 11 (consent), regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and regulation 17 (governance).

We have issued the provider with a warning notice. We will check the provider is taking action to comply with the legal requirements set out in the warning notice.

Follow up

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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.