This inspection took place on 31 October and 15 November 2016. Both days of inspection were unannounced which meant the registered provider and staff did not know that we would be attending. We previously inspected the service on 18 and 22 December 2014 and found that the service was not meeting all of the regulations which we inspected. We found the service was not meeting the regulations for consent to care and treatment and good governance. This was because the service did not have suitable arrangements in place for obtaining consent. The service had not been following the principals of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and this had not been picked up by the quality assurance measures in place at the time. There were also gaps in the quality assurance systems in place at the service. We noted that audits had regularly highlighted the same areas for improvement and actions plans had not been put in place following these audits. The registered manager was not given feedback following these audits which meant they had been unable to make the changes needed.
After inspection, the registered provider supplied an action plan to show us the action they had planned to take to improve the quality of the service.
Ingleby care home is registered to provide accommodation for people who require personal care, treatment of disease, disorder and injury and diagnostics and screening for up to 56 older people including people living with a Dementia. The service is located in a residential area within its own grounds and has on-site parking. The service is located close to local amenities. At the time of inspection there were 44 people using the service
The registered manager had been registered with the Commission since 21 January 2011. 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.
At this inspection, we could see the registered provider had made some improvements to their quality assurance processes. Appropriate procedures were in place to obtain consent. This meant they were following the principals of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
At this inspection, we found improvements were needed to the quality and accuracy of record keeping at the service.
Some risk assessments reviewed were inaccurate because scores had not been calculated correctly. We could see that there had been no negative impact on people because of these inaccuracies in the records. There were also gaps in the information contained in care plans.
Topical cream records had not always been completed. This meant it was not clear if people were receiving their topical creams as prescribed. We also noted gaps in nutrition and hydration monitoring records. The registered manager told us that although there were gaps in these records, they were satisfied that people were receiving an adequate nutrition and hydration intake.
Staff showed they understood the procedures which they needed to follow if they suspected someone was at risk of abuse. Staff were able to discuss the types of abuse which people could be at risk from and how they could help to minimise these risks. All staff spoken with told us they would not hesitate to whistle blow (tell someone) if they needed to.
Risk assessments were in place for people's specific needs and for the day to day running of the service. Some risk assessments for people contained detailed information and had been regularly reviewed.
Health and safety certificates for the premises were up to date and showed that the service was safe for people and staff. Fire safety system checks had also been completed and staff had participated in regular fire drills.
All staff had a Disclosure and Barring Services check in place. DBS checks help employers make safer decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable client groups.
People, their relatives and staff told us there were enough staff on duty throughout the day and night to care for them safely. We could see staffing levels were regularly monitored.
People received their prescribed medicines when they needed them. From our observations, we could see that people were supported to take medicines and people were given the time they needed to do so.
Staff told us they were supported during their induction period and records confirmed this. We saw staff shadowed more experienced staff whilst they became familiar with people using the service and the requirements of their role.
All staff were supported to carry out their roles effectively. Staff received regular supervision, appraisal and training. These also included observations of practice. When we reviewed supervision records, we noted gaps in the recording of information contained within them.
People told us staff sought their consent before any care and support was given.
Staff had increased their knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS). Staff were confident in these areas when we spoke with them and felt able to seek further support from the registered manager if they needed to. We noted that not all MCA assessments and best interests’ decisions were decision specific. The operations manager told us they were already aware of this and support was in place to address this.
Staff understood the action they needed to follow to ensure people received adequate nutrition and hydration. We could see that staff completed risk assessments and updated care plans when people became at risk of malnutrition or dehydration and worked alongside health professionals.
We were concerned that there was only one readily available choice at mealtimes. If people wanted something else to eat, they needed to wait for the meal to be prepared. However people spoke positively about the food provided to them.
People told us they had access to health professionals when they needed them. We saw evidence of this during inspection from our discussions with people and staff, from our observation of visiting professionals and from the care records we looked at.
People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support they received from staff. People told us they enjoyed living at the service and felt well cared for.
Not everyone we spoke with was sure if they had been involved in developing and reviewing their care plans. Records did not always show if this had been the case, however people told us staff always asked their permission before care and support was carried out.
People told us they privacy and dignity was maintained at all times. During inspection we observed good practices from staff.
Care plans were in place for people and had been reviewed. We noted that some care plans contained detailed person-centred information.
People told us they enjoyed the variety of activities provided at the service. From speaking with people we could see they also went out into the community to local shops and participated in community events. We could see that activities at the service had a positive impact upon people's lives.
People and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint and felt confident that action would be taken. We could see a small number of complaints had been made and records detailed the action taken to resolve the complaint and included the outcome of the complaint.
Staff told us they were happy working at the service; they were positive about one another and communicated well. All staff told us they were supported by the registered manager. All staff told us they could approach them if they needed to.
The registered manager had good links with the local community and people attended events within the community. The local community were also invited into the service for events. During inspection, the service was visited by local school who participated in a Halloween party.
The registered manager had made some improvements to the procedures in place for monitoring the quality of the service. Action plans were in place when audits had been carried out. These were actioned and checked by the regional manager during their monitoring visit. The regional manager also carried out their own audit of the service.
The registered manager regularly reviewed all safeguarding alerts and accidents and incidents. This meant patterns and trends could be identified and action taken to minimise the risk of reoccurrence and harm to people.
Surveys had been carried out and had been aimed at people and their relatives, staff and health professionals. Positive themes had been identified and action plans created when improvements were required.
Staff and people told us they were kept up to date with any changes or events occurring at the service and minutes were available if they had not been able to attend any meetings. We could also see that people had access to regular newsletters and had been invited to participate in the latest survey.
The registered manager had good links with the local community. People actively attended community events.
We could see that staff understood the requirements of their role and worked under the guidance of the registered manager to ensure people received safe care and support. We could see the staff team worked well together and communicated well.
Notifications, which are legally required and contain information about incidents in the service, had been submitted to the Commission when required to do so.