The inspection took place on 27 October 2016 and was unannounced. This was a comprehensive inspection.Grace House is a residential home providing support to up to 21 older people, many of whom are living with dementia.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
At our last inspection in November 2014 we found breaches of the legal requirements. The provider wrote to us to inform us of the action they planned to take to address the concerns. This comprehensive inspection was conducted to check that the action had been taken by the provider and that they were now meeting their legal requirements. We found that measures had been taken to ensure breaches in regulation were met but we did identify other areas in which the provider was not meeting legal requirements.
People’s rights were not protected as staff did not work in accordance with the guidance of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Restrictions were being placed on people before their mental capacity had been assessed. Best interest decisions were also not recorded. MCA assessments were not taking place for day to day decisions.
At our last inspection, we recommended that the provider review their systems for assuring quality. At this inspection, we found that whilst some improvements had been made, there was a lack of robust quality assurance systems in place to ensure people received care of a high quality.
Accidents and incidents were recorded and measures were taken to prevent a reoccurrence. Staff routinely carried out risk assessments and created plans to minimise known hazards whilst encouraging people’s independence. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people and knew what to do if they suspected abuse had occurred.
People had access to some activities. We recommended that the provider review the activities on offer to people.
Systems were in place to keep people safe in the event of an emergency. A contingency plan was in place to ensure people’s care could continue in the event of evacuation.
People were administered their medicines safely and as prescribed by healthcare professionals. We saw evidence of staff working alongside healthcare professionals to ensure that people’s needs were met.
People had care plans in place that reflected their needs and preferences. Where people’s needs had changed, care plans were updated to reflect this.
There were sufficient staff present to meet people’s needs safely. Staff had undergone checks to ensure that they were appropriate to be providing care to people.
People told us that they enjoyed the food and we saw evidence of people being provided with choice and also being consulted on food during meetings and reviews.
People were supported by kind and compassionate staff who knew them well. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy and dignity.
Staff felt supported by management and had input into how the home was run. People’s feedback was regularly sought and complaints were responded to appropriately.
During the inspection we found a breach 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.