Archived: Meyrick Rise

Updated 4 March 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.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 7 & 8 January 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two CQC Inspector’s, a CQC bank inspector and a Specialist Nurse Advisor on 7 January and a CQC Inspector, a CQC bank inspector and a Specialist Nurse Advisor on 8 January 2016.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included information about incidents the provider had notified us of. We also asked the local authority who commissions the service for their views on the care and service given by the home.

During the two day inspection we met and spoke with most of the people living at Meyrick Rise. We also spoke with the operations manager, the registered manager, the deputy manager, the cook, and ten care staff including nursing staff and senior care staff. We spoke with the activities co-ordinator, three domestic members of staff and three visiting relatives. Prior to the inspection we spoke with the GP who regularly visits the service and obtained their views on the service. We observed staff supporting people in communal areas and to eat meals. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific method of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed how people were supported and looked in depth at four people’s care, treatment and support records, a selection of other care records and reviewed a selection of medication administration records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including staffing rota’s, staff recruitment and training records, activity schedules, premises maintenance records, a selection of the providers audits and policies, compliments and complaint records, completed quality assurance forms and staff and relative meeting minutes.

Updated 4 March 2016

This unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 7 and 8 January 2016. At the last comprehensive inspection completed in January 2015 we found the provider had breached three regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The breaches regarded a repeated breach of people’s care records not being accurate, insufficient levels of staff and ineffective quality assuarance systems. At that inspection we served a warning notice on the provider for the repeated breach regarding people’s care records. We requested an action plan from the provider stating what they would do to meet the legal requirements in relation to each breach.

We undertook an unnannounced focussed inspection in June 2015 to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. At that inspection we found the provider had taken appropriate action and were compliant with the legal requirements.

At this unannounced comprehensive inspection we found the provider was compliant with the regulations.

Meyrick Rise is a care home comprising three floors providing accommodation, care and support for up to 74 older people. At the time of the inspection there were 29 people living at the home.

There was a manager employed at the home who was in the process of becoming registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 received their prescribed medicine when they needed it and appropriate arrangements were in place for the storage and disposal of medicines. However, some minor shortfalls were found in the records relating to medicines.

During our inspection visit the home had a calm and friendly atmosphere with a selection of activities for people to join in with if they wished. There was a selection of quieter areas available for people to sit in which meant people had the opportunity to relax in a calm and homely area.

The premises had recently received a complete re-furbishment which provided a very good standard of decoration, equipment and soft furnishings throughout the home. The premises had clear signage displayed to help people navigate around the premises.

People and their relatives spoke very positively about the recent changes in both the décor and the management team. People told us they were very satisfied with the level of care and support they received and told us they fully enjoyed all aspects of living at Meyrick Rise. People told us they felt safe at the home. One person said, “I’m so happy living here, I have never been happier”.

Staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and free from harm. They spoke knowledgeably about how to prevent, identify and report abuse and the provider had systems in place to ensure that risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.

People’s needs were assessed including areas of risk, and reviewed regularly to ensure people were kept safe. People were cared for with respect and dignity and their privacy was protected.

People told us there were enough staff available to help them when they needed support and they were supported promptly by staff who were friendly and caring. Relatives told us they were always made to feel welcome when visiting the home and said their relatives were safe, well cared for and comfortable.

There was a robust recruitment and selection procedure in place to ensure people were cared for, or supported by, sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff. Staff spoke positively regarding the induction and training they received and commented they had felt well supported throughout their induction period. Staff told us they now really enjoyed working at Meyrick Rise and found the support given by the new management team to be, “Excellent”.

Staff spoke knowledgeably about their roles and responsibilities and demonstrated interest in giving people the best possible care and support to meet their needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how people liked to have their care needs met.

Supervisions and appraisals were regularly completed with staff. Records showed these gave staff the opportunity to comment on their performance and request further training and development opportunities if they wished. The provider had recently introduced some staff incentive schemes to reward and encourage staff to attain their full potential.

Equipment such as hoists, mobility aids, pressure relieving mattresses and cushions were readily available, clean and well maintained.

The manager was aware of their responsibilities in regard to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These safeguards aim to protect people living in care homes and hospitals from being inappropriately deprived of their liberty. These safeguards can only be used when there is no other way of supporting a person safely.

People were supported and provided with a choice of healthy food and drink ensuring their nutritional needs were met. Menus took into account people’s dietary needs and people told us they really enjoyed the food and could ask for different choices if they did not like what was on the menu. We observed meal times were a pleasant and social experience for people and the dining area was attractively laid out with place settings, table decorations and staff available to ensure people received the assistance they needed.

People knew how to make a complaint and felt confident they would be listened to if they needed to raise concerns or queries. There was a clear system in place for people to raise concerns and complaints.

There was a schedule of daily activities for people to participate in if they wished. The provider ran a mini bus three times a week to places of interest that people had asked to visit, such as Poole Pottery, garden centres and local parks.

People told us they felt the service was now very well led, with a clear management structure in place with a visible, approachable management team that listened to them and the staff. People told us the management team were, “Fantastic”

There were systems in place to monitor and drive continuous improvement in the quality of the service provided.