Archived: Ravenswood Care Home

Updated 25 May 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

Day one of the inspection was carried out by two inspectors. Day two was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ravenswood Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager currently registered with the Care Quality Commission. However, the manager was in process of applying for their registration at the time of our inspection. This means that they (once registered), along with the provider, will be legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced, however we telephoned the provider from outside the home because of the risks associated with Covid-19. This was because we needed to know of the Covid-19 status in the home and discuss the infection, prevention and control measures in place.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We completed our site visit on 8 April 2021 and made phone calls on 13 April 2021. We spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the manager, senior care workers, care assistants, and cooks.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received further intelligence from the local authority which we considered when making our judgements.

Updated 25 May 2021

About the service

Ravenswood Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 36 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection, some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 55 people across one adapted building.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People’s care plans were not always reflective of their current needs. The design of the building was not always adapted to meet people’s needs. Staff did not always receive specialist training to meet people’s individual needs. People were not always supported with their diet and nutrition. Effective systems were not always in place to assess and manage risk to people’s safety. Systems in place were not always effective in identifying areas to improve on people’s care. Managers and staff did not always understand their roles, responsibilities and requirements.

People’s medicines were mostly managed effectively. The manager was addressing older areas of the building which required redecorating in order to help keep them clean. Accident and incidents were recorded and reviewed. People were supported by enough staff who supported them in a timely manner and staff members received training on how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse.

Staff worked in partnership with other healthcare professionals and people had access to healthcare services when required. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

We found there was a positive culture shared between staff to promote good outcomes for people. Incidents were investigated and improvements were made. Managers and staff were open and honest. People, their relatives and staff had the opportunity to make changes to the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 15 August 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s needs not being met, staff shortages and poor infection control. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements in relation to people’s care plans and governance systems in place. Please see effective and well-led sections of this full report.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ravenswood Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.