A WARRINGTON care home that had been in breach of safety regulations has now been rated “Good” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) although some concerns remain over medicine management.
The inspection by the CQC found the overall rating for the service at Gainsborough House on Gainsborough Road, Warrington, had changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
The improvements follow the recent recruitment of three key senior team members to strengthen the governance and quality of operations including two former CQC inspectors.
Gainsborough House is a residential care home operated by London and Manchester Healthcare Limited, providing personal and nursing care to up to 72 people. At the time of the inspection, there were 68 people using the service across three separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities.
The inspection report revealed the service had addressed some of the issues from the last inspection, and inspectors had found medicines were managed safely across the home, however, they made some recommendations about medicines management.
There was a range of effective provider and manager quality assurance processes in place, the provider had learned lessons from the previous inspection and improved services.
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.
Risk assessments held appropriate information. Care plans and risk assessments were person-centred and detailed how people wished and needed to be cared for; these were regularly reviewed and updated as required. Inspectors saw evidence of how the registered manager and staff ensured people’s beliefs, choices and rights were respected. This was supported in feedback they received from people and their relatives.
The recruitment of staff was safe and there were enough staff on duty on the day of inspection to meet people’s needs. Risks to people’s health and safety had been assessed and mitigated and equipment had been serviced and maintained. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed in order to minimise the risk of reoccurrence.
Inspectors observed support being provided in the home and saw this was done in a caring, responsive, and patient manner. They saw people were comfortable in the presence of staff and positive relationships had developed between people receiving support and staff.
A visitor told inspectors “There are always plenty of staff about and they always seem patient and kind with the residents. There seems to be more permanent staff
about lately, they do use some agency staff, but they also seem genuinely nice. The home is always spotless with no nasty odours. I have no concerns about any other residents or the way anyone is treated. There is always a very pleasant friendly atmosphere when I visit.”
At the last inspection the provider had failed to manage medicines safely, so people were placed at risk of harm. This was a breach of Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Enough improvement had been made at this inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation 12 in regard to risks in relation to managing medicines. However, they identified some improvements were still needed.
In response to the findings Sam Yardley, Head of Governance and Quality, L&M Healthcare and former CQC inspector, said: We were delighted with the results of this inspection. It is a testimony to the improvements that have been made and how proud we are, that the team at Gainsborough House have made such a difference despite navigating a pandemic and the many other challenges presented to the adult social care sector at present.’
Paul Fletcher, Commercial and Business Director added: “L&M Healthcare has recently recruited three key senior team members to strengthen the governance and quality of operations in all our homes. Two of these are former CQC inspectors. Sam Yardley has joined as Head of Governance and Quality and Sean Reck as Area Manager and Chief Pharmacist. We have also recruited Philip Anyon a former specialist advisor to the CQC who takes up a newly created role as lead dementia specialist. With these key team members in place to complement the existing team, we are confident that going forward our homes will be fully supported to ensure a GOOD overall standard is always the norm.”
A full copy of the report can be read CLICK HERE
