Arncliffe Court Care Home

Updated 28 June 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

This inspection was completed by two inspectors and a medicines inspector.

Service and service type

Arncliffe Court 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. 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 no registered manager, however there was a manager in post and they had applied to CQC to become the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We announced the inspection visit from the car park prior to us entering the service. This was because we needed to obtain information about COVID-19.

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 nine people who used the service and seven family members about their experience of the care provided. We also observed interactions between staff and people living at Arncliffe Court. We spoke with the manager, deputy manager, area manager and a total of ten staff including care, nursing and ancillary staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We reviewed three staff recruitment and staff supervision records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 28 June 2022

About the service

Arncliffe Court Care home provides accommodation, personal and nursing care to people some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there was a total of 63 people accommodated in three of the five units, the other two units were closed.

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

Risks to people were assessed, monitored and managed. Staff provided people with the care and support they needed to minimise the risk of harm. They monitored people’s health safety and wellbeing where this was required and completed records to reflect the care and support people received.

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 now supported this practice. Decisions made on behalf of people who lacked the mental capacity to make particular decisions for themselves were made in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

The systems for monitoring and improving the quality and safety of the service were used effectively. They brought about the required improvements to the quality and safety of the service following the last inspection. The manager promoted a culture of continuous learning and improvements.

Medicines were in the main safely managed. Medication for one person was not given at the right time and the procedure for ensuring one person received their medicines whilst out was not followed. These were isolated incidents and the manager addressed them immediately. Staff with responsibilities for managing medicines had completed the required training and their competency was regularly checked. Regular audits of medicines and records were completed.

Regular safety checks were carried out on the environment and equipment and records of the checks were maintained. Improvements were made during the inspection to secure some rooms which contained hazards.

Safe infection prevention and control (IPC) practices were followed. Staff completed IPC training and were kept up to date with current national IPC guidance. There was a good stock of PPE and staff used and disposed of it safely. Safe visiting arrangements were followed.

People received care and support from the right amount and skill mix of staff. Safe recruitment processes were followed. Applicants underwent a range of pre-employment checks to assess their suitability and fitness for the job. Induction training for agency staff had improved and staff were provided with further training in relation to the MCA which helped improve their knowledge.

There were processes for protecting people from the risk of abuse. Staff knew the signs and symptoms of abuse and the safeguarding reporting procedures. The manager worked with local authority safeguarding teams to minimise risk to people and others. People told us they felt safe with staff and they were treated well. Family members told us they were confident their relative was kept safe.

The manager had applied to CQC to become the registered manager of the service. They understood their role and responsibilities and regulatory requirements. We received positive feedback about the manager and the way they managed the service.

There was good partnership working and communication with external health and social care professionals and good communication with people, family members and staff.

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 11 August 2021).

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 16 and 19 July 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve, safe care and treatment, consent to care and treatment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

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.

Follow up

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