Marina Care Home

Updated 1 August 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and an Expert 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

Marina Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Marina Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a manager in post who had submitted an application to CQC to become registered.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced on the first day and announced on the second day.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We carried out an inspection of the home to ensure it was safe and suitable to meet people's needs. We also observed the delivery of care and support at various times throughout the day. We spoke with 12 people who lived at the home, 3 relatives, the manager, the quality consultant, the registered provider, the activity co-ordinator, a senior carer and 3 members of care staff.

We looked at records in relation to people who used the service including 3 care plans, medication records and systems for monitoring the safety and quality of the service provided. We looked at staff training and quality assurance records.

Updated 1 August 2023

About the service

Marina Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 33 people. There were 13 older people living in the home, including those living with dementia.

Marina Care Home is a large adapted house with 4 floors and lift access to all floors. There is a communal lounge and dining room located on the ground floor. The top floor was closed at the time of inspection.

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

Whist we were assured people received the care and support they required, care records did not always best evidence this. We have made a recommendation about the importance of maintaining contemporaneous records.

The management team had worked hard since the last inspection to improve the standards of care and support and to address the shortfalls found at our last inspection.

Changes had been made to the management team which had helped to strengthen governance processes and improve the safety and quality of care provided.

Risks to people's health, safety and well-being were assessed. Care plans had been updated to ensure staff had access to information about how to manage people's identified risks and support them in a safe way.

Medicines were managed in a safe way and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Safeguarding processes were in place to help ensure people were protected from the risk of harm. Accidents and incidents were analysed to ensure the home had an accurate picture of safety at any given time.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs in a timely way. The use of agency staff had decreased since the last inspection, meaning people were supported by staff who were familiar with them and their needs and preferences.

Improvements could be seen in the cleanliness of the communal areas and the home overall.

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 in the service supported this practice and were followed by the provider in line with the Mental Capacity Act.

People’s feedback about the care and support they received was consistently positive. People were treated with kindness and their privacy and dignity was maintained. The home had a relaxed, calm and friendly feel.

Governance systems were now more robust and operated effectively to ensure regulatory requirements had been fulfilled, to identify concerns and help drive improvement. Both people and staff spoke positively about the support provided by the manager.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (report published 9 February 2023).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended that inductions should be provided to agency staff at the start of their shift and that people's support needs should be better reflected in their care plans. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on our recommendations and had made improvements.

This service has been in special seasures since 9 February 2023. The overall rating for this service was 'requires improvement'. However, we placed the service in 'special measures'. We do this when services have been rated as 'inadequate' in any Key Question over 2 consecutive comprehensive inspections.

During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements had been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. We also checked whether the warning notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met.

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.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Marina Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

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