Archived: Orchid Care Home

Updated 29 July 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is 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.

This inspection took place on 22 and 23 June 2015 and was unannounced. Three inspectors carried out this inspection. We carried out this inspection as a follow up from an inspection in July 2014 where we found the provider had not satisfied the legal requirements in the areas of care planning, staff supervisions, appraisals and training. They wrote to us with an action plan of improvements that would be made.

Before we visited we looked at previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. Services tell us about important events relating to the care they provide using a notification. Before the inspection, we did not ask the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) as the inspection was carried out in order to follow up on the previous inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who use the service. This included talking to people and their relatives, looking at documents that related to people’s care and support and the management of the service. We reviewed a range of records which included 10 care and support plans, staff training records, staff duty rosters, staff personnel files, policies and procedures and quality monitoring documents. We looked around the premises and observed care practices throughout the day.

During our inspection we observed how staff supported and interacted with people who use the service. We spoke with 16 people and eight visitors about their views on the quality of the care and support being provided. During our inspection we spoke with the home manager, the deputy manager, four nurses, 13 care workers including night staff, an activities coordinator, housekeeping staff, and the chef. We arrived early on the second day of our inspection to speak with night staff. We also spoke with two visiting health professionals and a training provider.

Updated 29 July 2015

Orchid Care Home provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 83 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 78 people living there. The bedrooms are arranged over three floors and all have ensuite bathrooms. There are communal lounges and a dining area on each floor with a central kitchen and laundry. There is also a large communal area on the top floor which is used to screen films and host social occasions.

The home aims to provide people with care and support which derives from ‘Namaste Care’. Namaste care attempts to ensure that people are treated in a respectful and dignified manner and are provided with meaningful stimulation.

This inspection took place on 22 and 23 of June 2015 and was unannounced. At a previous inspection which took place in July 2014 we found the provider had not satisfied the legal requirements in the areas of care planning, staff supervisions, appraisals and training. The provider wrote to us with an action plan of improvements that would be made. We found on this inspection the provider had taken steps to make some of the necessary improvements.

At the time of our inspection the home had recruited a manager who was in the process of submitting an application to become the registered manager. 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.

The home manager, deputy manager and staff had knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards is where a person can be deprived of their liberties where it is deemed to be in their best interests or for their own safety. Whilst necessary Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications had been submitted previously by the provider, the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act were not always followed when assessing people’s capacity to make decisions.

We looked at 10 care plans and found that guidance did not always reflect people’s current needs and identify how care and support should be provided. This meant that people were at risk of inconsistent care and/or not receiving the care and support they needed.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support they received. They said that if they had any concerns they could speak to either staff or the management team. They said they felt their concerns would be listened to and where required appropriate action taken.

People told us they felt safe living at Orchid Care Home and they were well cared for. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. Staff knew how to identify if people were at risk of abuse and what actions they needed to take to ensure people were protected.

Staff providing care were familiar with the needs of people they were supporting and we observed that care and support was provided in a person centred way. People were involved in a range of activities within the home and the local community. The provider encouraged people to provide feedback on the services they or their relative received.

People were supported to eat a balanced diet. There were arrangements for people to access specialist diets where required. People told us they could choose what they wanted to eat and if they did not like what was on the menu they could ask for an alternative. There were snacks and drinks available throughout the day during our inspection.

There were clear policies and procedures for the safe handling and administration of medicines. These were followed by nursing staff and this meant people using the service received the correct medicines at the right time of day.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Staff we spoke with were clear about their responsibility in regard to infection control.

We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.