Archived: Redcourt Care Home

We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.

We found the following examples of good practice:

There was a programme of regular COVID-19 testing for both people living in the home, staff, essential carers and visitors to the home. Screening procedures included temperature checks and a negative lateral flow test.

Staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) and followed good guidance and practices. There was ample PPE available to the people living at the home and staff.

Staff were trained on how to manage the spread of COVID-19. People were encouraged to maintain social distancing and use face masks in the community where required.

Daily cleaning schedules were implemented by the care staff.

Staff supported people to access healthcare services.

Redcourt Care Home is a residential care home located in Aigburth, a residential area of Liverpool. It provides personal care and accommodation for up to 53 people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

Where people lacked the capacity to make particular decisions, they were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and were supported by staff in the least restrictive way possible. However, we found that the home did not maintain clear documentation relating to mental capacity assessments and decisions made in a person’s best interests. We discussed this with the registered manager, who was aware this was an area they needed to improve in and was already in the process of addressing this.

There were systems in place to protect people from abuse and people living at the home and their relatives told us that they felt safe there. One relative said, “Safe? Very much so, we’re made up with the place.”

The home was well-maintained and the safety of the environment was regularly checked by staff. The home had a variety of up-to-date safety certificates that demonstrated that utilities and services, such as gas and electric had been tested and maintained.

Staff were safely recruited by the home. Records showed that the required pre-employment checks, such as criminal records checks, had been carried out. This ensured that only people who were suitable to work with vulnerable adults were employed by the home.

Medication was correctly administered, stored and recorded at the home by staff who had the required knowledge and skills.

Staff were well-supported with regular supervisions and annual appraisals with the registered manager. Most staff were up-to-date with training relevant to their roles and we found that staff who required refresher training had been booked to do so.

People living at the home were supported by staff to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. People and their relatives gave us positive feedback about the quality and choice of food available at the home. One person said, “Thumbs up, very good we are very well fed and the food is to a high standard, we are very lucky.”

All the people and relatives we spoke with gave us positive feedback about the staff at the home. A relative commented, “The staff are great, they look after people so well.” Staff knew the people they were supporting well, including their needs and preferences. We observed many warm, friendly and caring interactions between staff and the people living at the home throughout our inspection.

The care plans we looked at were detailed and informative, regularly reviewed and reflected the needs of the people living at the home. This helped staff get to know the people they were supporting and we found the staff we spoke with knew people well.

There was a good range of activities on offer to people living at the home. Examples of this included, arts and crafts, baking, dancing, singing and ball games. One person told us, “We have a singing group me and another lad started it. We sang at Christmas. We do quizzes and bingo we are very active.”

The interactions we saw between staff and people living at the home showed there was a positive and caring culture amongst staff at the home. People and their relatives told us they felt the home was well-led. One relative said, “I suppose from the attitude of the staff they are friendly, helpful and approachable and they have a low turnover of staff with members of staff who have been there years and so they must be happy with the way they are managed.”

The registered manager had various systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of service being provided at the home They also gathered feedback about the service through quarterly carers’ meetings, a registered manager’s surgery and annual satisfaction questionnaires.

Rating at last inspection:

Good – 23 August 2016

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

The home had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that the people living at Redcourt Care Home were treated with dignity and

respect and supported to make everyday choices. People had a choice of meals and received the support they needed to eat and drink. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding and knowledge of people`s individual care needs and there was good communication between staff and people’s families.

The home was clean, tidy, comfortable and safe. Adaptations had been made to support people

with mobility difficulties and help them to find their way around.

During the day of our visit there were enough staff on duty and people did not have to wait for staff to attend to them. The rotas we looked at confirmed that these staffing levels were maintained by using agency staff as needed.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) had been applied for appropriately and most of these were awaiting authorisation by the local authority. Family members visited during the day with no restrictions.

Care records we looked at showed that people’s care and support needs were assessed and planned for and the plans were reviewed regularly.

The home employed an activities organiser and a wide range of age-appropriate activities was provided.

We saw evidence that regular staff meetings and family meetings took place. A significant number of satisfaction questionnaires had been circulated and returned during 2015. We saw records of a series of quality monitoring audits that were carried out.

We found that the people living at Redcourt Care Home were treated with dignity and respect and supported to make everyday choices. We also found that they had received the support they had needed with their care and welfare.

People were complimentary about the meals provided. We found that people received support to eat and drink, they had a choice of meals and any changes to their food or drink intake had been quickly noted and monitored.

The home was clean, tidy and comfortable. Adaptations had been made to support people with their mobility and to find their way around more easily.

Recruitment processes had improved with systems introduced to the home to ensure staff recruited were suitable to work with people who may be vulnerable.

Systems were in place for enabling people to raise concerns or complaints.

The registered manager failed in relation to their responsibilities by not providing the appropriate risk management and supervision of staff.