Archived: Morris Grange Care Home

Updated 21 March 2018

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 comprehensive inspection took place on 31 January and 1 February 2018. Day one of our inspection was unannounced. We told the provider we would be visiting on day two. The inspection team on day one consisted of one inspector, a specialist advisor and two experts by experience. A specialist advisor is someone who can provide expert advice to ensure our judgements are informed by up-to-date clinical and professional knowledge. The specialist advisor who supported this inspection was a specialist in nursing care. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The experts by experience who assisted with this inspection had knowledge and experience relating to older people. They supported this inspection by speaking with people and their relatives to seek their views and experiences of the service. Two inspectors visited on day two.

We used information the provider sent us in the PIR. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information we held about the service, such as notifications we had received from the registered manager. A notification is information about important events that the service is required to send us by law. We sought feedback from the commissioners of the service and Healthwatch prior to our visit. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We planned the inspection using all of the information we had gathered from these different sources.

During the inspection we spoke with 12 people and 10 of their relatives as well as two visiting health and social care professionals to gather their feedback about the service. We spoke with the registered manager, two nurses, four care workers, an activities co-ordinator, the chef and the person responsible for the maintenance of the building. We spoke with the regional director and the nominated individual who was responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the administrator.

We looked at a range of documents and records related to people’s care and the management of the service. We looked at nine care plans, four staff recruitment and training records, quality assurance audits, minutes of staff meetings, complaints records, policies and procedures.

Updated 21 March 2018

The inspection took place on 31January and 1 February 2018 and was unannounced.

When we completed our previous inspection on 5 January 2017, we found concerns relating to medicines administration, staff supervision and the provider's quality and assurance systems. At this inspection, improvements had been made to meet the relevant requirements.

Morris Grange is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Morris Grange accommodates 71 people across three separate units, each of which has separate adapted facilities. At the time of our inspection, there were 55 people who used the service. One of the units specialises in providing care to people living with dementia who have behaviours that need to be managed. The other units provide residential and nursing care.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions of safe, effective, responsive and well-led to at least good. During this inspection we found the provider had made improvements in all these areas.

At the time of inspection the registered provider was in administration and a management company was overseeing the operation of the home on behalf of the administrators. The management company were providing regular updates to CQC regarding the home for our monitoring purposes. Where we refer to the provider in this report we are referring to the administrator.

The service had a 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.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were able to tell us about different types of abuse and were aware of action they should take if abuse was suspected. They were confident that the registered manager would address any concerns.

Medicines were stored and administered safely and the premises were well maintained to keep people safe. Some areas were in need of renovation, but essential repairs to keep people safe were completed.

Risk assessments were completed to reduce the risk of harm. Accidents and incidents were analysed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs. There were safe recruitment and selection procedures in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. Staff received the support and training they needed to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people's assessed needs. Staff had requested more practical training and this had been organised.

People were provided with sufficient food and drink to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals and services.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There were positive interactions between people and staff. Staff knew people well and promoted their independence. Care was person-centred and people were provided with choice. Staff were kind and treated people with dignity and respect. People told us they were happy and felt well cared for.

Care records contained information about people's needs, preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff understood people were individuals and would not tolerate discrimination.

Complaints and feedback were taken seriously and action was taken to address any concerns. The registered manager and provider monitored the quality of service provided to ensure that people received a safe and effective service which met their needs.