This unannounced inspection took place on 06 and 07 November 2014 and was completed by two inspectors and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
At our previous inspection on 11 June 2013 the provider was not in breach of the regulations we looked at.
Rose Lodge provides accommodation for up to 57 people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 54 people living at the service. The service had a registered manager in post. They had been a registered manager since 26 September 2014. 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.
People told us they were safe living at the service and staff were knowledgeable about reporting any abuse. However, we found that there was not always a sufficient number of suitably qualified and trained staff employed by the provider. People were not assured that their care needs would be met in a timely manner.
The provider’s recruitment process ensured that only staff who had been deemed suitable to work at the home were employed. This was after all pre-employment checks had been satisfactorily completed.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We found that the registered manager was knowledgeable about when a request for a DoLS would be required. However, only two out of seven staff were able to tell us when a person would need to be considered for a DoLS application. In addition, restrictions placed on people’s freedom had not been authorised by a supervisory body.
All staff respected people’s privacy at all times. People were not always provided with their care when this was required and people sometimes had to wait over two hours for their care needs to be met. This meant that people’s dignity was not always respected.
People’s assessed care needs were planned and, in most cases, met by staff who had a good understanding of these and how to meet people’s needs effectively. However, administration and recording of people’s prescribed medicines was not always undertaken accurately.
Care was provided by staff in a caring and compassionate way. People’s hobbies and interests had been identified. However, there were limited opportunities for people to be supported with these. Records also confirmed the limited social stimulation people had been provided.
People were supported to access a range of health care professionals. People were consistently supported by the appropriate health care professional in a timely manner. Health risk assessments were in place to ensure that people were safely supported with their health risks.
People were provided with a varied menu and had a range of healthy options to choose from. People with complex care needs, including those people at an increased risk of malnutrition or dehydration, were supported with appropriate food and drink. There was a sufficient quantity of food and drinks available at all times in the home.
A complaints procedure was in place. Complaints had been recorded and responded to. This was to the satisfaction of the complainant. People could raise concerns with the staff at any time.
The registered manager and staff were not always supported effectively. This included not having sufficient staff and staff whose training, supervisions and appraisals had lapsed.
The provider had quality assurance processes and procedures in place. We found that these had not always been effective in identifying the issues we found. This put people at an increased risk of unsafe care.
We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.