Archived: Himley Mill Care Home

Updated 18 January 2016

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.

We inspected this service on 16 December 2015. This was an unannounced inspection. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors and an 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.

We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications the provider had sent to us about significant events at the service and information we had received from the public.

On this occasion we did not ask the provider to send us 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. However we offered the provider the opportunity to share information they felt relevant with us.

Each inspector spent time in one of the three units. Collectively we spoke with 12 people who used the service, four friends and relatives, twelve members of care staff and the manager. We did this to gain people’s views about the care and to check that standards of care were being met.

We spent time observing care and support in the communal area. We observed how staff interacted with people who used the service. We looked at the care records for seven people. We checked that the care they received matched the information in their records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including quality checks and staff files.

Updated 18 January 2016

We inspected this service on 16 December 2015 and it was unannounced. At our last inspection in November 2014 compliance actions were issued as we identified that improvements were needed regarding consent to care and treatment. The provider sent us a report in February 2015 explaining the actions they would take to improve. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made since our last visit.

The service was registered to provide nursing care for up 86 people. The service is split in to three separate units Beech, Kingswood and Woodlands. At the time of our inspection 79 people were using the service.

There was a new manager in post who is in the process of registering with us. 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.

The provider did not always provide personalised care that met people’s preferences. When people had cultural needs the provider did not demonstrate this as part of their assessment. Some systems that were in place did not ensure that when people’s care needs had been assessed they received it as they should.

People told us they felt safe and staff were able to recognise and report potential abuse. Risks were managed in a way to keep people safe. There were safe systems in place to manage medicines. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs in a timely manner. Staff received training and induction which supported them to have the skills to meet people’s needs.

When people were unable to consent mental capacity assessments had been completed and decisions were made in people’s best interests. The provider had considered when people were being unlawfully restricted and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS) applications were in place. Staff knew their role and how to protect people with this.

People told us they enjoyed the food and were offered a healthy balanced diet. People and families told us they were involved with reviewing their care and when needed people were referred to relevant healthcare professionals.

People’s privacy and dignity was promoted and they were treated in a kind and caring way. People were encouraged to be independent and make choices about their day. Families told us they were free to visit throughout the day.

Staff felt listened to and were given the opportunity to raise concerns and suggest improvements. The provider used feedback from people, staff and relatives to bring about improvements to the service.