Archived: Alfreton Residential Home

Updated 18 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 25 August 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and one expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Prior to the inspection we asked for information from the local authority quality assurance team and we checked the website of Healthwatch Wirral for any additional information about the homes. We reviewed the information we already held about the service and any feedback we had received.

During the inspection we spoke with six people living at Alfreton Residential Home and with two relatives and visitors. We also spoke with a visiting health professional. We talked with three staff on duty including ancillary staff. We also talked with the registered manager.

We observed support for the majority of people who lived at the home. We reviewed a range of documentation including care plans, medication records, records for three staff members, staff training records, policies and procedures, auditing records, health and safety records and other records relating to how the home is managed.

Updated 18 October 2017

We carried out an unannounced inspection of Alfreton Residential Home on 25 August 2017. Alfreton Residential Home is a detached three-storey house with a large back garden. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 16 people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of our visit the service was providing support for 12 people.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. There was a registered manager in post, they had been registered since January 2015.

All medication records were completely legibly and had been signed for, however it was identified that a staff member had signed for medication they had left for staff to be administered by a different staff member at a later time. All staff giving out medication had been trained in medication administration.

All six people we spoke with said there was not enough going on with regard to activities and we were told that although the food was good and nutritious the choice of food was limited due to confusion about what choices had been made and what was available.

People who lived at the home were happy there and held the staff in high regard. They said they were well looked after. People told us they felt safe at the home and had no worries or concerns. From our observations it was clear that staff cared for the people they looked after and knew them well. People and relatives we spoke with said they would know how to make a complaint. No-one we spoke with had any complaints. The service was caring and people and their relatives confirmed this to us. The service was responsive to people’s individual needs and made sure any concerns were addressed.

We reviewed three care plans, these provided sufficient information on people’s needs and

risks and guidance to staff on how to meet them. Regular reviews of care plans took place to monitor any changes to the support people required

We found that the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) 2009 legislation had been followed. The registered manager told us that DoLS applications had been submitted to the Local Authority for some people.

Infection control standards at the home were good and standards were monitored and managed. Maintenance records were up to date and legible, this meant the home was a safe environment. The registered manager had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse.

Staff were recruited safely and there was sufficient evidence that staff had received a proper induction or suitable training to do their job role effectively. The majority of staff had been supervised in their role.

The home had quality assurance processes in place including audits and quality questionnaires. The home also had up to date policies in place that were updated regularly. The registered manager regularly checked the quality of care at the home through audits.

The majority of people we spoke with felt there was always enough staff on duty and during the inspection there was sufficient staff on duty to ensure peoples care needs were met.