All inspections: Craigarran Nursing Home

This inspection took place on 13 and 17 March 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

Craigarran Nursing Home provides care and accommodation for up to 44 people, including people with a dementia type illness and nursing care needs. On the day of our inspection there were 31 people using the service.

The home had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, 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.

Craigarran Nursing Home was last inspected by CQC on 9 August 2013 and was compliant.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people using the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

Thorough investigations had been carried out in response to safeguarding incidents or allegations.

The registered manager conducted monthly audits to check that medicines were being administered safely and appropriately.

Staff training was up to date and staff received regular supervisions and appraisals, which meant that staff were properly supported to provide care to people who used the service.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. The provider was not meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) or the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and there was no evidence in the care records of consent being obtained. This was a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

People who used the service, and family members, were complimentary about the standard of care at Craigarran Nursing Home.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

We saw that the home had a full programme of activities in place for people who used the service.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they moved into Craigarran Nursing Home and care plans were written in a person centred way however care records were not always accurate or up to date. This was a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

The provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place and complaints were fully investigated.

The provider had a robust quality assurance system in place and gathered information about the quality of their service from a variety of sources.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

During the visit, we spoke with five people who used the service. A number of people who used the service experienced difficulty making their views known, so we observed how the staff worked with these individuals. Everyone we spoke with said that they were pleased with the service; and that they found the staff were really helpful. People told us; 'The staff are marvellous', 'I am happy here and find that the staff are good at their job' and 'The staff know what they are doing and always make sure I know what is going on'.

From our observations and discussions with people we found that care staff worked in ways that supported people to lead fulfilling lives and respected people's decisions. We found that staff had a good understanding of how to best meet each person's care needs. We also saw that staff treated individuals with a great deal of humanity as well as empathy.

We found that the home and the equipment were being maintained and plans were in place to ensure there was on-going refurbishment.

We spoke with ten people who lived at the home and four relatives also, to find out their thoughts on the care provided at the home. Everyone we spoke with was complimentary. One person said, 'I get plenty of good food and they attend to me all day and all night, you can't want for anymore.' General comments from people included, 'Ahhh it's lovely. Everyone is friendly. If there's anything you don't like, you just tell them,' 'The carers are very good. They help me with everything I need,' 'I love it here' and 'They all do their best to help. All praises to the staff.'

Comments from relatives included, 'It's not the most modern of homes, it's outdated, but the care is there and that is the main thing,' 'I really can't say enough about how good the care is. Of course they can't be perfect all the time, but they're just so obliging. They phone you if anything has happened and you never hear a grumble,' 'I think it's a place where the individual's care is put first' and 'When we first came here to have a look around, the thing that impressed us most was the nursing care ' the care of the individual. They weren't trying to sell us anything they just had a genuine interest in mum and the whole family.' General comments from relatives included, 'I would recommend them to anyone,' 'It's been ideal' and 'It's great. The staff can't do enough for you. You just have to say something and it's done.'

Most people were not able to tell us directly what they thought about the service. However, during our visit we spent time observing how staff supported people and this was positive and respectful.

We spoke to five people. Everyone we talked to spoke highly of the service. They said:

'I like doing the exercises, we all enjoy it',

'They ask me what I want if I don't like the pudding',

'I enjoyed my lunch',

'They will get you anything you want' and

'There are plenty of bathrooms'.

We also spoke to three visitors to the home who said:

'Nothing is too much trouble',

'I can stop for tea or as long as I want',

'I've never worried about the care' and

'It could do with updating but you can't fault the care'.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: Craigarran Nursing Home

All Inspections

13 and 17 March 2015

During a routine inspection

9 August 2013

During a routine inspection

14 August 2012

During a routine inspection

2 November 2011

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation