Rowan Garth Care Home

Updated 23 June 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

This inspection was carried out by 3 inspectors, a Specialist Professional Advisor, who was a nurse and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Rowan Garth Care Home 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. Rowan Garth Care Home is a care home with 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 no registered manager. A new manager had been in post for 2 months and had submitted an application to register. We are currently assessing this application.

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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 12 people who used the service and 4 family members about their experience of the care provided. We also observed interactions between staff and people who used the service.

We spoke with 15 members of staff including the manager, members of the management team, the receptionist, ancillary staff, nurses and carers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 15 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 7 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 23 June 2023

About the service

Rowan Garth Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 150 people. Accommodation was spread across 5 separate units. Each unit specialised in different types of support for people with a variety of health and care needs, including people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 1 unit was not in use and there were 72 people using the service.

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

Systems had been introduced to improve the manager and provider oversight of the quality of the service people received. A new manager had recently been appointed. Changes in the management team had impacted on the embedding of these new systems. This meant positive progress against our last inspection findings had been made in many areas, but not all. Further improvements were needed to fully review aspects of peoples care which included the experiences of people living at the home at mealtimes and opportunities to reduce the risk of social isolation.

There was a lack of awareness of who the new manager was and further work was needed to develop and maintain positive and trusting relationships and to embed a person centred culture within the home.

Although we found some improvements were still required at Rowan Garth Care Home, most people did speak positively of the care they received.

Appropriate checks on staff were in place to ensure they were suitable for the role before working with people. We observed staff had a caring nature and knew people well.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Policies and systems were in place to support best practice. The communication needs of people were clearly documented, and people had access to appropriate healthcare services.

Checks were in place to ensure people lived in a safe environment. Ongoing refurbishment and redecoration of the home was planned and ongoing.

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 inadequate (published 10 November 2022) and the provider was in breach of multiple regulations. The provider submitted regular action plans after the last inspection to show what actions they were taking to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of 1 regulation.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider sought advice and updated their practices around the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. At this inspection we found they had made improvements.

This service has been in Special Measures since 9 November 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified an ongoing breach in relation to good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

We have also made recommendations to improve the choice and quality of food available and to ensure all people are supported in a way which reduces the risk of social isolation.

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.