Arguam House

Updated 8 August 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Arguam House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Arguam House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 members of staff including the house manager. We spoke with 3 people for feedback on their experience of care and carried out observations. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records including care plans, risk assessments, and records of daily interactions. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 8 August 2023

About the service

Arguam House is a residential care home providing the regulated activity of personal care for up to 8 people. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe and enjoyed living at Arguam House. People spoke positively about the management and staff team. People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm or abuse as staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to report any concerns.

Most medicines were given safely and as prescribed. However, we have made a recommendation about the management of ‘as required’ medicines. Sufficient numbers of skilled and knowledgeable staff were available to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited safely.

People were supported by staff who treated them with dignity, respect and were kind, patient and caring. People’s needs, and choices were known and respected. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and liaised with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s health and care needs were met.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Some governance processes were either not completed regularly or had not been undertaken robustly to identify and monitor the quality of the service and drive improvement.

The management team were committed to providing good quality care and were responsive to the feedback we gave them, immediately addressing any shortfalls we highlighted.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 3 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement because where a breach of regulation has been identified the rating will be limited to requires improvement. Please see the well led section of this report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified a breach in relation to good governance. We have also made a recommendation in relation to medicines at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.