Archived: Russell Green Care Home

Updated 1 July 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was 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.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form the provider completes to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made the judgements in this report. We also reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about) and information that had been sent to us by other agencies, including the local authority.

We visited Russell Green Care Home on 3 May 2016. The inspection team consisted of one 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. The inspection was unannounced. Following our visit to the care home, our inspector also telephoned some of the people who received homecare from the provider to seek their views on this aspect of the service.

During our inspection we spent time in the care home observing how staff provided care and support to the people living there. We also spoke with nine people who lived in the home, two people who used the homecare service, ten visiting friends and family members, the registered manager, the two directors of the registered provider that operates Russell Green Care Home, two members of the care staff team, a senior administrator and the cook. We also spoke with two local healthcare professionals who had regular contact with the home.

We looked at a range of documents and written records including two people’s care records, information relating to the administration of medicines, the management of complaints and the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 1 July 2016

Russell Green Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 18 older people requiring nursing or personal care, including people living with dementia. The service is also registered to provide personal care to people living independently in their own home.

We conducted an unannounced inspection of the service on 3 May 2016. There were 16 people living in the home and 17 people using the homecare service on the day of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers (‘the provider’) 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves. At the time of our inspection, no one using the service was subject to a DoLS order or application.

Staff knew how to recognise signs of potential abuse and how to report any concerns. Staff were also aware of the MCA but the provider’s use of ‘best interests’ decision-making processes to support people who lacked capacity to make some decisions was not consistently effective.

Action was also required to improve systems of communication and decision-making between the directors of the registered provider and the registered manager.

Staffing levels were sufficient to support people safely and effectively. Staff were appropriately recruited to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people and received the training and support they needed to meet people’s needs and preferences. The provider encouraged staff to study for advanced qualifications.

People were cared for safely and were treated with dignity and respect. People were able to access a range of healthcare professionals when they required specialist support and their medicines were managed safely.

People and their relatives were closely involved in planning the care and support provided by the service. Staff listened to people and understood and respected their needs. Staff worked with each other in a friendly and supportive way and reflected people’s wishes and preferences in the way they delivered care.

People were supported to enjoy a range of activities and pursue their personal interests. Food and drink were provided to a good standard.

People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern and were confident that the provider would respond positively in response to any feedback received. There were systems in place for handling and resolving formal complaints and the provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of the service provided.