Warde Aldam

Updated 30 September 2022

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 two inspectors 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

Warde Aldam 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. Warde Aldam 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and four relatives. We spoke with the registered manager and members of the staff team including activity co-ordinators and care assistants. We also spoke with one professional who worked with the service. We looked at records related to four people's care, and the oversight and management of the service. This included staff files, training records, risk assessments and audits.

Updated 30 September 2022

About the service

Warde Aldam is care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to people in one adapted building with three separate units. Two units specialise in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 58 people using the service.

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

Risks to people were not always assessed. Records for people who required the use of hoists did not always contain enough information to keep them safe. The provider had auditing systems in place, however these were not always effective in identifying areas for improvement. For example, concerns were found during our inspection in relation to infection control, fire safety and care plan records and these were not identified by the service. We saw some furniture and flooring to be visibly stained and a malodour in some areas of the service. We have made a recommendation the provider reviews the quality monitoring systems.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Incidents were monitored by the registered manager and staff told us they felt comfortable to raise concerns. People and relatives said they felt safe. There were enough staff, who had been safely recruited and received appropriate training, to meet people's needs. Medicines were safely stored, administered and disposed of. Accidents and incidents were monitored, and trends and patterns identified to mitigate future risks.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager and people and relatives were positive about how the service was managed. The management team worked closely with community health professionals to ensure people received appropriate care and support.

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.

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 this service was good (published 18 February 2019)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about care and treatment, medicines and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this 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.

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

Recommendations

We recommend the provider reviews the quality monitoring systems to ensure they identify concerns with premises and equipment in a timely manner.

Follow up

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