Marillac Neurological Care Centre

Marillac Neurological Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care and treatment for up to 52 people with complex neurological support needs. These included people over the age of 18 and those with a physical disability and sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection 51 people were living in the service.

The care home premises accommodate 52 people in three units within one adapted building and three small bungalows for people undertaking rehabilitation. It is set in a woodland area with landscaped accessible gardens.

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

Medicines were not always managed well. Effective systems were not in place to ensure people received their medicines safely.

Governance systems were in place to monitor the health and safety for everyone using and working in the service. Improvements to the auditing process in the areas identified in this inspection were needed.

The service had enough staff to meet the needs of the people. Staff had been safely recruited; however, we found some gaps in staff members employment history. These were identified and dealt with quickly during the inspection.

Staff understood about safeguarding people in their care and processes were in place to inform and notify the relevant authorities. Assessments of the risks to people’s health and wellbeing were undertaken and kept updated. The environment was clean and infection prevention and control measures were effective.

The provider had learnt lessons when things had gone wrong and made the necessary improvements.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and care, treatment and support was delivered in line with current legislation. The induction, training and supervision of staff was provided to ensure they had the knowledge and understanding to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were catered for and monitored. Staff teams within and across the service worked together and people had access to healthcare services which delivered effective care, support and treatment.

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.

The staff were caring and kind. They spoke about people in a warm and compassionate way. People’s dignity and privacy were respected.

People had an assessment of their needs which included their choices, wishes and preferences. This provided staff with the information they needed to respond to people in a safe and effective way.

Relatives and friends were encouraged to visit and get involved in the service, providing company and support. There was a range of social and leisure activities on offer and we saw the group activity sessions were well attended.

People were able to raise concerns and we saw complaints had been responded to. Peoples end of life care wishes had been recorded where these had been discussed.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the service and the management of it. Their views were sought through surveys, feedback and complaints. Improvements were made as a result of people’s feedback.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 6 May 2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 28 April 2017.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of the full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified a breach of the regulations in relation to the management of medicines at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety.