Background to this inspection
Updated
26 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 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 18 March 2016 and was unannounced.
The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors.
During our visit we spent time with people living on the Speke House unit. We spoke with 12 people, spent time with a further six people during the lunch time meal and spoke with six visitors, including family members. In addition we spoke with five staff and the registered manager. We looked at the care planning records of four people, policies and procedures used throughout the service, and assessed the time it took staff to respond to call bells. Further areas we looked at included food and drink available to people. Both inspectors joined people in the dining room of Speke House for lunch. We looked at how the registered provider managed and responded to complaints and spoke with staff to gather their knowledge of their role.
Throughout the visit we carried out observations to see how staff interacted with the people they were supporting.
Prior to this inspection we contacted the Local Authority to ascertain if they had any concerns about the care and support people received whilst living on the Speke House area of the service. They told us that they had no concerns in this area.
Updated
26 May 2016
This was an unannounced inspection carried out on the 18 March 2016.
The service is situated in Halewood, Merseyside. The property is a large purpose built residence that has five separate units for people with varying needs. Arncliffe Court is on a residential housing estate close to all local amenities and has good public transport links. There are local shops nearby and a main shopping area can be reached by bus or car.
A registered manager was 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.
A comprehensive inspection took place in January 2015 which resulted in an overall rating of good for the service.
In March 2016 we received concerns in relation to the service people received at Speke House, one area of the service. These concerns included people’s care planning, the foods available to people and the length of time people waited for attention. We undertook a focused inspection to look into the concerns raised and to find out people’s opinions and experiences of the service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the concerns raised. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Arncliffe Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
During this inspection we found that improvements were needed to enhance people’s dining experience. We found that the dining room was noisy and that food was not always served at an appropriate temperature.
People had access to health care professionals when needed. Records demonstrated that people had received visits as required from a GP, dietician and speech and language therapists. Family members felt that any concerns about their relatives health had been responded to appropriately.
Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people’s likes, dislikes and routines. This helped ensure that people received the care and support in a manner that they wished.
People had a choice of food and drinks available to them throughout the day. When required people’s food and drink intake was monitored to ensure that they ate and drank sufficient amounts to keep healthy.
People who were being cared for in bed and those who chose to spend time in their bedrooms had access to a call bell to alert staff if they needed assistance. A record was maintained of each time the call bells were activated and the length of time that it had taken for the call bell to be answered. This information was monitored on a regular basis.
People had the opportunity to attend and participate in regular activities which were made available at the service.
Each person had their own plan of care that detailed the level of care and support they needed throughout the day and night.
A complaints procedure was in place and people and their families were aware of who to contact if they wished to raise a concern or make a complaint about the service.