Cameron House

Updated 13 May 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 completed by one inspector. An Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people’s relatives. 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

Cameron House 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. Cameron House 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 registered manager in post but they were on annual leave.

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. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with 5 people who use the service about their experience of Cameron House. We spoke with 5 members of staff and the regional area manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people’s care records and 7 people’s medication administration records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment, and a further 5 staff files relating to training and supervision records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, quality assurance information and policies and procedures were viewed.

Following the on-site inspection to Cameron House, the Expert by Experience spoke to 5 family members about their experience of Cameron House.

Updated 13 May 2023

Cameron House is a residential care home providing the regulated activity of accommodation and personal care for up to 44 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia in one adapted building and across 6 separate wings. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people using the service.

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

Although some improvements were noted since our last inspection in June 2022, not all risks for people using the service were recorded in sufficient detail to mitigate the risk or potential harm for people using the service. Improvements were still required to some aspects of medicines management. We have made a recommendation about this.

People were at risk of harm and injury because poor moving and handling practices were witnessed during the inspection. Poor deployment of staff meant people’s needs were not always met. Governance arrangements at the service continued to require improvement to ensure improvements were sustained in the longer term.

People told us they were safe. Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff demonstrated an understanding of safeguarding and how to raise concerns internally and external agencies. Staff recruitment practices at Cameron House were safe. 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.

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 (published 16 August 2022).

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 in relation to the provider’s safeguarding arrangements and they were no longer in breach of Regulation 13 (Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment) but remained in breach of Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good governance).

The service remains rated Requires Improvement. The service has been rated Requires Improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and in part due to concerns received about medicines management.

A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-Led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

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 remained the same based on the findings of this inspection for a second consecutive time.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Cameron House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to risk management, staffing and quality assurance at this inspection.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.