Wetley Manor Care Home

Wetley Manor is residential purpose-built single floor care home providing personal care with accommodation for up to 22 older people who may be living with dementia, poor mental health or a physical disability. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people using the service.

We found the following examples of good practice

¿ The provider had created an area where visitors accessed a sunroom at the back of the building instead of entering the service. Visitors were able to speak and see their relatives from the sunroom into a bedroom via an intercom without wearing face masks because the risk of cross contamination had been mitigated. The provider stated this had helped people with dementia recognise their relatives and see facial expressions. This way of visiting was welcomed by relatives and people because they felt assured they were safe whilst enjoying time with relatives.

¿ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was worn in line with current guidance and the provider had sourced masks with an anti-fog strip as he was aware of the issues staff who wore glasses experienced. This showed they had considered the needs and comfort of staff.

¿ The domestic staff member had researched disinfectant and alcohol based products to ensure touch point cleaning was effective. They had discussed different options with the provider who had sourced different products to ensure all areas of the home were sanitised to the highest standard. This ensured people were safe from cross contamination.

¿ Discussions were held with staff to reduce any anxieties they felt and the provider had signposted them to wellbeing services such as counselling if needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Wetley Manor is residential purpose-built single floor care home providing personal care with accommodation to 22 older people who may be living with dementia, poor mental health or a physical disability. 20 people lived at the home on the day of our inspection.

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

The provider had made improvements since our last inspection in respect of management systems but there were still areas relating to ensuring the safety of medicines management which needed to be developed further, although the provider was not in breach of regulations and there was no evidence of harm.

People and relatives told us the service was safe and staff were aware of how to minimise risks to people and promote their safety. Staff knew how to identify risks and change their approach to minimise these.

People were supported by staff that were caring, showed compassion and expressed an interest in people. People told us they received care that met their expectations and was based on their individual needs and preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people, their needs and preferences.

People were supported by care staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff understood, felt confident and well supported in their role. People's health was supported as staff worked with other health care providers when needed to support people’s healthcare needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff understood they should support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us they enjoyed meals they chose and there was access to a range of foods that met people’s needs due to their health, or specific preferences.

People's care plans reflected people’s needs and preferences and the staff were able to explain how people were involved to ensure care plans were up to date. There was some scope for development of some areas of these that the provider had initiated.

The provider was responsive to information from people and relatives. People knew how to complain and felt concerns would be listened and responded to by the staff. People’s comments were used as a tool to drive improvement of the service.

People, relatives and staff gave us a positive picture as to the quality of care people received, and said they were able to share their views with staff. People said they were able to follow their chosen routines, had choice and accessed activities at the service.

Quality monitoring systems included audits, regular checks on people’s satisfaction with the service they received, by surveys, meetings or ongoing discussion. The provider has systems in place to ensure they kept up to date with developments in the sector and changes in the law with support from a care consultant.

People and relatives told us the registered manager and staff were approachable, organised, listened and responded to them and acted on feedback when they shared this with them. People and relatives told us the service was well managed. The provider demonstrated they were not complacent and wished to improve the service further, for example developing better care records and improving the environment further.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 20 June 2019) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection and was also completed as part of our scheduled re inspection activity.

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 return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Wetley Manor Care Home is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Wetley Manor Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 22 older people, some of whom were living with dementia, others had mental health needs and a physical disability. At the time of the inspection the home was fully occupied. The home is situated on one floor and was accessible to wheelchair users.

The home had a registered manager who was present on both days of our inspection visit. 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 have any governance systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided to people. Medication practices were unsafe and people did not always receive their treatment as directed by the prescriber. Equality, diversity and human rights were not included in the assessment of people’s care and support needs to ensure they were not discriminated against. The provider’s recruitment practices were not entirely robust to ensure the suitability of people who worked in the home. There was a lack of emphasis focused on staff development and training to ensure staff had the skills to care and support people safely.

People confirmed there were sufficient staff to meet their needs. People felt safe living in the home and staff knew how to safeguard them from the risk of potential abuse. Staff had access to risk assessments that supported their understanding about how to reduce the risk of harm to people. Staff were provided with personal, protective equipment to help reduce the risk of cross infection.

People’s consent to care and treatment was always obtained by staff. People were provided with a choice of meals and drinks were available at all times. Staff supported people when needed to access relevant healthcare services. People were provided with relevant aids and adaptations to promote their independence.

People described staff as nice and caring and confirmed their right to privacy and dignity was respected. People’s involvement in their care planning ensured they received a service the way they liked.

People were supported by staff to pursue their social interests. People could be confident their complaints would be listened to, taken seriously and acted on. At the time of our inspection visit no one was receiving end of life care.

The registered manager was experienced and was supported in their role by the provider. People who used the service and staff described the registered manager as approachable and supportive. The provider worked in partnership with other relevant agencies to assist in meeting people’s needs.

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.

Wetley Manor Residential Care Home is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for up to 22 people. People who use the service may have physical disabilities and/or mental health needs such as dementia. At the time of the inspection the service supported 20 people.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

We found that medicines were not always managed in a way that kept people safe from the risk of harm.

Staff and the registered manager understood their responsibilities and action to take where abuse was suspected.

People’s risks were assessed and managed. Staff understood people’s risks and ensured people were protected from harm, whilst promoting their independence.

We saw there were sufficient, experienced and competent members of staff available to meet people’s needs. The provider had safe recruitment procedures in place.

People were supported by staff who had received training, which gave them the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate care that met people’s needs.

People consented to their care and the provider followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 where people lacked the capacity to make certain decisions about their care. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were in place for people who required certain restrictions to protect their safety and staff understood how these needed to be adhered to.

People told us that they had positive mealtime experiences. Where people were at risk of malnutrition there were plans in place to ensure they received sufficient amounts to eat and drink.

People were supported to access other health professionals to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People were supported in a caring and compassionate way that protected their privacy and dignity. Choices in care were promoted by staff and people’s choices were listened to and acted on.

People were involved in their care. People’s preferences had been taken into account and staff knew people who used the service well and knew their likes and dislikes.

People were supported to be involved in meaningful hobbies and interests within the service. People’s religious needs were met.

The provider had a complaints policy available and people knew how to complain and who they needed to complain to.

The registered manager led the staff team well and worked closely alongside the provider to promote openness and transparency within the service. The ethos of care was clearly promoted by the management and the staff followed this when providing care.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care people received and people’s feedback was sought and acted on to make improvements.

We observed people being cared for in a respectful and compassionate way. People told us that staff respected their individual choices.

The provider had an effective recruitment system in place and the appropriate checks on staff had been undertaken to ensure that they were suitable to provide support to vulnerable people.

People told us that staff were caring and understood their needs. Staff told us that they received an induction and felt supported by their manager.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.