Archived: Antron Manor Care Home

Updated 5 May 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 12 April 2016. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we requested and were provided with a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This included past reports and notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with four people who lived at the service. Not everyone we met who was living at Antron Manor was able to give us their verbal views of the care and support they received due to their health needs. We looked around the premises and observed care practices.

We spoke with four members of staff, two visiting healthcare professionals, four visitors and the registered manager/provider. We looked at care documentation for three people living at Antron Manor, medicines records for 16 people, three staff files, training records and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 5 May 2016

This unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 12 April 2016. The last inspection took place on 12 August 2014. The service was meeting the requirements of the regulations at that time.

Antron Manor is a care home which offers care and support for up to 16 predominantly older people. At the time of the inspection there were 15 people living at the service. Some of these people were living with dementia. The service uses a detached house over two floors. People could use a stair lift to access the first floor. None of the people living at Antron Manor at the time of this inspection required any moving and handling equipment to assist them. No one was being cared for in bed and no one required to have their food and drink intake monitored. Many people were self-caring but required encouragement, prompting and confidence to maintain their level of independence.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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. The registered manager is also the owner of the service and referred to as the registered provider in this report.

We walked around the service which was comfortable and personalised to reflect people’s individual tastes. The premises were clean and well maintained. People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect.

We looked at how medicines were managed and administered. We found it was always possible to establish if people had received their medicine as prescribed. Regular medicines audits were consistently identifying if any errors occurred.

The service had identified the minimum numbers of staff required to meet people’s needs and these were being met.

Staff were supported by a system of induction training and supervision. Staff knew how to recognise and report the signs of abuse. Staff received training relevant for their role and there were opportunities for on-going training and support and development. More specialised training specific to the needs of people using the service was being considered by the provider.

Informal staff meetings were held regularly. These allowed staff to air any concerns or suggestions they had regarding the running of the service.

Meals were appetising and people were offered a choice in line with their dietary requirements and preferences. Where necessary staff monitored what people ate to help ensure they stayed healthy.

Care plans were well organised and contained accurate and up to date information. Care planning was reviewed regularly and people’s changing needs recorded. Where appropriate, relatives were included in the reviews.

Activities were provided at the service. There was a varied programme of activities including external entertainers and volunteers who came to provide film shows, music, games and exercise.

The provider was supported by senior care staff and a stable long standing staff team.