The Laurels Care Centre

Updated 30 July 2024

Date of assessment 12 August to 22 August 2024. This assessment was planned in response to concerns raised about the delivery of safe care at the service. During this assessment, we found that although staff were kind and caring, the numbers of staff available to support people were not always adequate. We found that systems and processes to support people’s safety were not always followed. Information gathered from incidents, accidents and feedback was not effectively used to make changes and improvements to the quality of care. We identified improvements were also required to the governance, management and sustainability of the service. The service rating has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our onsite visit there was a manager registered with the CQC. However, the registered manager resigned during the assessment process. Day to day running of the service was being managed by the area manager supported by the deputy manager and staff team. The previous management arrangements at the service had contributed to the issues in respect of the overview and governance of the service.

Updated 30 July 2024

People told us they felt safe living at the Laurels Care Centre and spoke positively about the staff that supported them. We observed staff treating people with kindness. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about people's social, care and support needs but lacked professional curiosity regarding aspects of health, such as weight loss, and the rationale behind the decisions made, such as remaining on continuous bedrest and 15 minute observations. Feedback from staff and relatives regarding staffing levels was mixed, some people felt there were enough staff and others thought more were needed. Our observations highlighted that staff were not always deployed in the best way to maximise interactions between staff and people and to monitor people at risk from falls. People and relatives said they would raise any issues or concerns with the staff team and most felt these would be dealt with appropriately. Some relatives felt they weren’t listened to and actions not taken to address their concerns. Feedback we received from statutory partners was also mixed some stated they had good relationships with staff and management and the service was responsive and managed people with risks well, whilst two health professionals felt that actions they had requested were not taken forward such as health referrals.