Archived: The Gables Care Home

Updated 10 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 was 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 9 January 2017 and was unannounced. A further visit took place on 16 January and was an announced visit. The inspection team consisted 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 all the information we held about the service along with any notifications that we had received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also contacted the local authority and took the information they provided into account as part of our planning for the inspection.

We spoke with six people who lived in the home and three family members. We also spoke with the registered manager (by telephone), deputy manager, assistant deputy Manager , senior care assistant, two care assistants and two of the cooks. We also spoke with two professionals involved with the service.

We carried out observations of care being provided including a short observational framework for inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of capturing people’s experience about the support they receive when they are unable to communicate their views.

Updated 10 May 2017

An unannounced inspection took place on 9 January 2017; a further visit on 16 January was an announced visit. Our previous inspection on 9 June 2015 found the provider was not meeting two regulations at that time. These were in relation to inadequate practise related to infection control and care and support that was personal to people, that met their needs and reflected preferences. At our visits on 9 and 16 January 2017 we found that improvements had been made regarding infection control and standards were now met. However, we did not find any improvements in relation to care and support that was personal to individuals or reflected their preferences.

The Gables Care Home provides support for up to twenty three people, including those living with dementia. On the day we visited there were twenty people living there. The home is situated in Buxton and in large building with big rooms and high ceilings. There is a garden for people who live in the home to use.

There was a registered manager in post at the home, who is also the provider of the home. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risks to individuals were not always assessed or acted upon. However, people were protected from bullying and harassment by a staff team who understood what to do if they had any concerns. People’s medicines were managed in a way that kept them safe. There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and recruitment of staff was done in a safe way.

Staff had the knowledge and skills to undertake their caring responsibilities and people were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink. However, the storage of food did not always meet standards to ensure people were given food which was safe to eat and drink.

People were supported to maintain good health and appropriate health care referrals were made. Consent to care and treatment was undertaken in line with the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People did not receive care that was personal to them and people’s preferences and wishes were not sought nor met. People knew how to make complaints.

There was not a person centred culture in the home which was open and empowering. Staff were supported by supervisions but did not feel supported by the registered manager. There were not sufficient systems and processes in place to ensure high quality care was delivered to people.

At this inspection we found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.