April Park Care Home

Updated 17 February 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 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

April Park 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. April Park Care Home 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 not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for 3 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 3 people who used the service and 8 members of staff including the manager, senior care assistant, domestic assistant, care assistants and a registered manager from one of the providers other services. We also spoke with 8 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records and multiple medication records. 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 also reviewed.

Updated 17 February 2023

About the service

April Park Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 40 people. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 33 people using the service. April Park Care Home is split between 2 floors, there are communal lounges, bathrooms, a dining room and accessible outside space for people to use.

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

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and understood how to work within the principles of the MCA. However, the provider had not consistently assessed or recorded people's capacity to make specific decisions about their day to day life. Best interest decisions had not consistently been recorded and the provider had not considered if people’s care constituted a deprivation of their liberty. We raised this with the manager who had also identified this and was working to an action plan to address this.

Care plans and risk assessments had been regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in people's needs and actions staff should take to minimise the risk of avoidable harm. However, we identified one person’s risk had not been assessed correctly, which had the potential to impact on the care staff provided. Staff worked with external professionals to reduce the risks they had identified. Records demonstrated that appropriate referrals had been made when people had experienced a deterioration in their health.

Systems and processes were not always effective in identifying potential risks or recording issues in people’s care records. The manager carried out regular quality audits of the service and had created an action plan to address any areas for improvement. Positive relationships had been developed with people using the service, relatives and staff. People had regular opportunities to provide feedback through meetings and in person with the manager. The feedback received had been recognised and actioned.

People’s dignity had not always been promoted. Relatives told us about issues they had encountered with the laundry. We raised this with the manager who told us they were going to introduce a new system to ensure people’s clothes were not mislaid or lost.

Care plans contained information about people's lifestyle choices and personal relationships, and the support staff provided to ensure people's individual needs were met.

The service had activities coordinators in place who provided a range of activities, we saw evidence of several activities people had recently participated in, displayed in the service and in the newsletters. People told us they enjoyed the activities on offer. Relatives told us they knew how to raise complaints or concerns, we reviewed the complaints the service had received, we found they had been investigated and actions had been taken to reduce the reoccurrence of the issue raised.

People were protected from the risk of abuse, staff understood how to report any concerns they had. Staff were recruited safely, we received mixed opinions from relatives about the staffing levels. People received their medicines at the times they were prescribed or when they needed them, however we found medicine administration records did not consistently record the application site of a pain-relieving patch for one person. We were assured that appropriate infection, prevention and control measures were in place.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; however, the systems in the service did not support this practice.

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 13 February 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for April Park Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to the governance arrangements in place at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.