Obelisk House

Obelisk House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 44 older and younger people living with dementia, physical disability and/or sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service.

Obelisk House accommodates people across four separate units, each with its own lounge, dining area and kitchenette.

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

Systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the service were in place. However, these required further development. Quality assurance systems had not identified the shortfalls found during the inspection in relation to repositioning charts and equipment. People and their relatives told us that they would speak to the management team should they wish to raise any concerns or complaints.

Not all care staff had received additional training to ensure they had the necessary skills to meet the needs of the people they supported. This included training in end of life and catheter care. The registered manager advised they will ensure staff will receive this training to enhance their skills and knowledge.

There were not always enough staff to ensure people received the care they needed in a timely manner. We recommend the provider considers the layout of the service and the deployment of staff when assessing staffing levels.

People and their relatives told us that there were limited activities. Staff told us they wished they had more time to spend with people doing activities or one-to-one interaction. People were supported to maintain relationships with loved ones and were supported by staff to access the community.

Staff had received training on the safe and effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, during the inspection staff were seen to be wearing their face masks below their noses on several occasions.

People told us they felt safe at Obelisk House. Staff received training in safeguarding and understood the signs of abuse and how to report any concerns. Medicines were safely managed. Staff administering medicines had received the appropriate training.

Risks associated with people's care had been identified and plans were in place to mitigate these. Falls were analysed on a monthly basis to identify themes and/or trends and to ensure appropriate action was taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

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.

Staff demonstrated they knew people well and spoke to them kindly. Staff communicated well with people and supported people with their wellbeing.

There was information in people’s care records about their dietary needs and people were weighed regularly to ensure they maintained a healthy weight. Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to maintain people's health.

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

This service was registered with us on 1 April 2021 and this is the first inspection under a new provider.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 24 May 2019.

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, effective and well-led sections of this full report.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.