Simon Marks Court

Updated 21 February 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

An inspector, a specialist advisor in governance and an Expert by Experience carried out the inspection. 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

Simon Marks Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and a relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, team leaders, care workers, domestic, district manager, chef and wellness co-ordinator. We observed mealtimes and spent time in communal areas.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 21 February 2020

About the service

Simon Marks Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 39 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people. Simon Marks Court is purpose built and accommodates people across four units.

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

People were not always safe. Risks to individuals such as behaviours that challenged and pressure sores were not always assessed and appropriately managed. Improvements were needed to make sure medicines were managed safely. The provider made sure people lived in a safe, clean environment and appropriate fire safety measures were in place. There were enough staff to keep people safe although some people felt the staffing arrangements did not always enable staff to spend quality time with them. Recruitment practices were robust and ensured staff were suitable to work at Simon Marks Court. The service followed safeguarding procedures and dealt with abuse and allegations of abuse properly.

Management systems were not implemented consistently and effectively. The provider's auditing and monitoring had not highlighted issues that were raised at the inspection. Some records could not be located and others which were still relevant had been archived. The management team were responsive to the inspection findings; they took appropriate action when issues were highlighted and when we completed day two of the site visit some positive changes had been introduced. They had a clear vison of how they wanted to develop and improve the service. People had opportunities to share their views about the service and the service had received several compliments about people’s experience of Simon Marks Court.

Staff were supported in their role. They received appropriate induction, training and regular updates. People had plenty to eat and drink and were offered a choice of meals. Meal times were well organised although the main dining room was sometimes noisy, and space was limited; the provider was in the process of opening another dining area. 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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were comfortable in their surroundings. The service was decorated and furnished to a good standard and suitable to meet people’s needs.

People were treated well and enjoyed living at Simon Marks Court. They were tidy in appearance and looked well cared for. Staff were proud to work at the service and confident people received good care. They understood how to promote people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

People’s routines were person centred care, for example, people chose when to get up and go to bed. People’s care and support needs were usually identified in their care records. Staff were familiar with people’s needs. However, they sometimes relied on communication from other staff rather than reading care plans. The service was developing and improving social opportunities and activities. Systems were in place to deal with concerns and complaints.

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 requires improvement (published 19 December 2018) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in some areas, but the provider was still in breach of two regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe and well-led key question sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will also meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.