Archived: Acash Lodge I

Updated 20 May 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place on 21 March 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team comprised of one inspector 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.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we looked at four care plans for people using the service and three staff recruitment files. We checked training records for four staff and checked seven medicines against stocks and checked two medicine administration records (MAR). We also checked records against the balance for two people’s money, and checked four receipts against records.

We spoke with two staff members, the newly employed manager and the provider. We also spent time with the people living at the service and talked with them. It was not always possible to get answers to our questions, as people had limited or no verbal speech.

Following the inspection we spoke with four relatives of people using the service, either on a permanent or respite basis and spoke with two health and social care professionals familiar with the service.

Updated 20 May 2017

We inspected this service on 21 March 2017. The inspection was unannounced. Acash Lodge I is a care home registered for a maximum of six adults who have a learning disability.

At the time of our inspection there were four people living there permanently. Additional people stayed at the service on a short term basis to enable family carers to have a break. This is often referred to as a respite break.

The service was a terraced house, on three floors with a front and back garden.

We previously inspected the home on 17 May 2016 and we found the provider was in breach of standards relating to the safe care and treatment of people using the service. We also made a recommendation in relation to training.

There was no registered manager in place at the time of the inspection, however a manager had started in post in January 2017 and was applying to be the registered manager. 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.

At the last inspection we found staff were not always following procedure in relation to completing body maps. Body maps are diagrams used to assist staff in recording unusual or unexplained marks on people’s bodies. At this inspection we found that staff were routinely completing body maps and taking appropriate action in notifying relevant organisations if there were issues of concern noted.

There was a relaxed atmosphere at the service on the day of the inspection. We saw kind and caring interactions between staff and people living at the service.

The service was clean but we found one out of date meat products in the fridge which was removed immediately. There were repairs outstanding on the day of the inspection but the provider has since repaired these.

Recruitment checks were in place for the majority of staff prior to them starting work at the organisation. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs although there had been a number of staff changes in the last nine months which impacted on the quality of the service.

Care plans were up to date and there were risk assessments in place for people living at the service. The manager was in the process of updating the risk assessments for people who used the service on a respite basis.

People’s money was safely managed.

Medicines were stored securely, within appropriate temperature range and administered safely.

Staff received regular supervision and had undertaken training in key areas to support them in their caring role.

Quality audits were undertaken. These included health and safety, cleaning, medicines and finances management.

We have made a recommendation in relation to staff recruitment.