Archived: Carlton House

Carlton House is a residential care home providing accommodation with personal care for to up to 20 people. The service mainly provides support to older people, people who have dementia and people who require support due to their cognitive needs. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people using the service. Accommodation is provided over 4 floors in a quiet residential area.

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

Building safety and hygiene risks were not effectively identified or well managed. We were not assured about some aspects of infection prevention and control. Fire and building risks were not regularly assessed or tested to ensure everyone was safe.

Governance systems and oversight were not in place to ensure risks and standards were being managed effectively. There were no overall assessments or audits of the quality of care and no plans in place to address issues or ensure service improvements.

Staff were not always appropriately trained or supported to carry out tasks. The service experienced long term staff vacancies which meant the registered manager and care staff were also stretched to carry out cleaning and housekeeping tasks.

People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives when the service did not have enough staff, this affected people’s choices about going out, being active and being supported with meaningful activity. However, staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The registered manager and staff were kind, caring and respectful of people’s needs and wishes. Staff built supportive relationships with people, and their relatives felt welcome and well informed about people’s care.

The registered manager worked closely with people’s health and mental professionals to ensure changes to their needs and risks were monitored and responded to effectively.

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 under the previous provider was good, published on 4 May 2020

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, responsive and well led sections of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

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 breaches in relation to building safety, staffing and governance at this inspection. Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.