Archived: Galtee More Residential Home

Galtee More Residential Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 23 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection there were 22 people using the service.

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

While the registered manager ensured the smoother running of the service, the registered provider did not always respond in a timely manner to requests for improvements. They did not provide the registered manager with adequate oversight. We made a recommendation about this.

The service worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received all the support they needed. People were happy with how the service was managed. Staff and external professionals felt well supported by the registered manager.

People received person-centred care, which was responsive to their needs. Care records were well written and contained important details about people’s needs. People's communication needs had been assessed and where support was required these had been met. While the registered manager managed people's concerns and complaints appropriately, we found complaints had not been adequately dealt with if they were directed at the registered provider. We made a recommendation about the management of complaints.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm by staff who understood how to recognise, respond and report concerns. Allegations of abuse had been dealt with in a robust manner to assure people about their safety. People told us they felt safe when supported by staff. Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of avoidable harm to people during the delivery of their care. People were safely supported to receive their medicines as prescribed. The registered manager had robust and safe recruitment procedures. The provider needed to timely respond to concerns regarding the maintenance and safety of the premises.

People's care and support had been planned in partnership with them and their relatives. Staff had received regular training and supervision to support them in their roles. 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.

People were positive about the service and said staff were kind and caring. People were treated with dignity and respect and their right to privacy was upheld. The registered manager worked in partnership with people and their advocates.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 18 September 2018). There was also an inspection on 17 July 2018. However, the report following that inspection was withdrawn, as there was an issue with some of the information that we gathered.

Why we inspected

This was a planned re-inspection because of the issue highlighted above.

Follow up

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

Galtee More is a residential care home situated in a residential area on the outskirts of Barnsley town centre. The home consists of one building with four floors accessed by one passenger lift. The majority of rooms are single without en-suite facilities. At the time of this inspection there were 23 people living at the home.

We inspected Galtee More on 3 and 5 July 2017. Both inspection days were unannounced. This meant the home did not know when we were coming.

Galtee More was last inspected in September 2015 and was rated Good.

The home had a registered manager who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2014. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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.

During this inspection, we identified that the service was breaching regulations related to safe care and treatment, recruitment, consent and good governance.

People and relatives told us they felt safe and their care needs were met by staff at the home.

Although risks associated with people's individual care needs were identified, such as pressure sores and falls, we found shortfalls in how these and other areas of risk were managed.

Staffing levels were appropriate and dependency tools were found in people’s files however these were not being used to inform the registered manager’s decision in regards to staffing levels or staff deployment.

People had care plan specific to their care needs however its quality was variable.

Medicines were not always administered safely at the home. The temperature of the medicines room was over the advised limit during several days and no action was taken to rectify it; creams were not being administered or recorded properly and there were no protocols for ‘as and when required’ (PRN) medicines.

Mental Capacity Act 2005 assessments and best interest decisions for people, who lacked capacity, were not in place.

Recruitment process were not robust as staff’s full employment history and appropriate references were not always sought in line with regulations.

People and their relatives provided good feedback about the meals and drinks provided. Care and catering staff were well-informed about people's dietary needs, food preferences and dislikes.

When needed, referrals to other professionals were done and during our visit we had positive feedback from a visiting health professional in relation to the care provided at Galtee More.

People had access to activities.

Staff had completed training however it was not always possible to establish when this had been completed. Staff had regular supervision. The registered manager did not have an oversight of staff’s training records or supervision dates.

People felt able to tell staff if there was something they were not happy with and we saw that concerns and complaints were managed well.

People and relatives thought the care staff and management were kind, caring and polite.

The systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided were not robust. Some checks and audits were undertaken but these did not identify areas for improvement.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014. You can see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

People told us that they were happy living at the home and satisfied with the care and support they received. Their comments included, "I'm happy here, the staff are smashing,' 'The lasses [staff] are lovely, they are really nice' and 'It is very, very good here, we are really well looked after.'

Relatives we spoke with said that they were happy with the care their loved one received. They said, 'Lovely staff' and 'We are very happy she is a resident here, we don't think there is anywhere better.'

During the inspection we were able to observe people's experiences of living in the home. The interactions between people living at the home and staff were positive. We found that care and support was offered appropriately to people.

We found that people's needs were identified in care plans. Records showed that people had been involved in the care planning process.

We found there were processes in place to ensure the safety, availability and suitability of equipment.

Our conversations with people, relatives and staff, evidenced that there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs.

We found people were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records had been maintained.

We spoke with relatives who were visiting the home and they confirmed that they were very happy with the care provided. They told us, "the staff are very friendly, they keep us informed what's going on with Mum, I know she's happy here.' and 'the staff are very good, very approachable, they're all nice and the home is kept very clean.'

We found that people's needs were identified in care plans. Records showed that people and their relatives had some involvement in the care planning process.

Medication records checked were up to date and regular audits of medication systems were undertaken.

We found that there were sufficient numbers of staff provided to meet people's needs.

We found that a complaints policy and procedure was in place. People had been provided with information on how to make a complaint. All of the people and their relatives we spoke with said they had no complaints or concerns about the home.