The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Barleycroft Care Home in Romford, inadequate overall and the service has been placed in special measures, following an inspection which took place in February.
The service was also rated inadequate in relation to whether it is safe and well-led and requires improvement for its effectiveness, responsiveness, and how caring it is.
Barleycroft Care Home provides accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 80 people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 71 people using the service.
In December 2019, the legal entity of the provider changed. This was the first inspection following registration of the new provider.
Prior to this, CQC was notified about a specific incident in which a person using the service sadly died. This occurred in June 2019, under the management of the previous provider. The incident was subject to a criminal investigation which concluded in June 2020, with no action taken. However, the inspection did look at risks to people using the service, and specifically the management of head injuries, which the incident was related to.
Neil Cox, CQC’s head of inspection for adult social care, said:
“During our inspection of Barleycroft Care Home, we identified several regulation breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, the delivery of person-centred care, staff training, quality assurance and the overall safety of the premises.
“As a result, the service is now in special measures, which means we will keep it under review and will re-inspect within six months to check to see whether significant improvements have been made. If sufficient improvements have not been made at that point, we will take enforcement action in accordance with our legal powers.”
Inspectors found several areas of concern:
- Risks associated with people's care and support had not been fully assessed and there was no detailed guidance in place in certain areas of people's care for staff to follow, to keep people safe
- People's medicines were not always managed safely and as prescribed
- The needs of people were not always assessed before they used the service and care records did not always contain information to reflect people's needs and preferences. People's end of life wishes were not always identified and recorded
- Staff competency was not being effectively monitored to make sure people received safe care. The management team did not have a system to check if staff were supporting people safely. Staff received training but it did not cover all areas of people's support needs
- There were quality assurance and governance systems in place to drive continuous improvement, but these were not always working effectively
- Accidents and incidents were recorded but were not always followed up to minimise the risk of reoccurrence in future
However, there were a number of positive findings:
- Infection control procedures had been enhanced due to the risk of COVID-19 and a cleaning schedule was in place. Personal protective equipment was readily available and people and staff were tested regularly to help prevent the spread of infection
- There were sufficient staff working for the service and safe recruitment procedures were followed
- There was a complaints policy and procedure in place which people and their relatives had access to
- The management team had good links with the wider community and worked in partnership with other agencies to help ensure a joined-up approach to people's support
- People were given 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.