Archived: The Mount Nursing Home

The Mount Nursing Home provides nursing care services for predominantly older people and people living with dementia. The home is a converted Victorian property and is located in a residential area overlooking Peel Park. The accommodation comprises of three double bedrooms and the remainder of rooms are single. Five rooms have en suite facilities and there are shared bathroom and toilet facilities on both the ground and first floors. Communal spaces are situated on the ground floor. The service is registered for 40 places. On the day of our visit there were 24 people living at the home and one person was in hospital.

There is a registered manager at the service. 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.

Staff understood how to keep people safe and we found there were appropriate systems in place to protect people from risk of harm.

We saw some improvements had been made to the premises and the registered manager told us these would be on-going. However, we found on-going maintenance issues were not always being identified or rectified.

People told us the cleanliness of the building has improved and we evidenced this during the inspection.

Recruitment processes were robust and thorough checks were completed before staff started work to make sure they were safe and suitable to work in the care sector with vulnerable people. There were enough staff on duty to make sure people’s care needs were met, people told us they liked the staff and found them kind and caring. On the day of our visit we saw staff speaking calmly and respectfully to people who used the service. There were some activities on offer to keep people occupied but people told us they would like more to do.

Staff told us they felt supported and that training was available. However, we found some training and individual supervisions were not up to date.

People told us meals at the home were good. We saw people were offered a choice of meal and drinks and snacks were readily available for people. Staff monitored people’s weights closely and if anyone was losing weight we saw GP’s and dieticians were involved for advice.

We found people had access to healthcare services and these were accessed in a timely way to make sure people’s health care needs were met. Safe systems were in place to manage medicines so people received their medicines at the right times.

We found the service was meeting the legal requirements relating to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). However, we were informed some people were the subject to a Lasting Power of Attorney for care and welfare, but no evidence of this could be produced.

There were care plans in place for people but these were not always up to date.

We found the management of the home ‘chaotic.’ We found it difficult to access records or to find out which of the management team were accountable for specific tasks. Most of the people we spoke with thought the deputy manager was in charge.

We saw a variety of quality assurance systems had been introduced sine our last visit, however, the registered manager and operations manager acknowledged that these systems were not fully embedded. We found the systems in place were not effective.

At the last comprehensive inspection in June 2015 this provider was placed into special measures by CQC. This inspection found that there was not enough improvement to take the provider out of special measures.

CQC is now considering the appropriate regulatory response to resolve the problems we found.

We saw staff interact positively with residents, treating them with dignity and respect.

We found people received care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. Appropriate risk assessments and care plans were in place and there was evidence they were updated to reflect changing needs.

People were being cared for in a clean and hygienic environment.

From the evidence obtained and observation on the day of the inspection we were assured that people under the care of 'The Mount' staff were generally protected from the risks associated with medicines.

People who used the service, staff and visitors were protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises.

During the inspection we spent time sitting with people in the communal areas of the home. This meant we were able to observe people's experiences of living in the home. We found that care and support was offered appropriately to people. We found that staff were skilled, in recognising the diversity, values and human rights of people who used the service.

Each person living at the home had a care plan. We found that some care plans had complete and detailed information and others had incomplete data.

People told us that they felt safe living in the home and if they had concerns they would speak with a family member or a member of the staff team.

Staff spoken with said they had completed training in all mandatory subjects. Staff told us that training in specialised topics was also available. Ancillary staff said they had not received any training in safeguarding adults. This meant that they were unsure how to respond and raise concerns appropriately.

The provider had an appropriate system in place for gathering, recording and evaluating information about the quality and safety of care the service provided. People who used the service and their representatives were asked for their views about their care and treatment.