The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has taken action to protect people at Serene Residential Care Limited after rating it inadequate and placing it in special measures following an inspection in September.
CQC undertook an unannounced focused inspection to look at whether it is safe and well-led, following concerns in relation to lack of staffing, people's dietary needs not being met, lack of recording around people’s care and poor management of the service.
The home, which was previously rated as requires improvement, is now rated inadequate overall and has been placed into special measures to focus their leadership team on the areas where urgent improvements are needed. CQC has also rated the service as inadequate for being safe and well-led.
Serene Residential Care Limited is a residential care home providing accommodation for up to 35 people who require nursing or residential care for people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 21 people.
Sheila Grant, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said:
“When we inspected Serene Residential Care Limited, we were very concerned that the provider hadn’t made sufficient improvements since our previous inspection in May and they were still in breach of regulations. This is why we have placed them into special measures and downgraded their rating from requires improvement to inadequate.
“We found a service that didn’t have robust systems and processes in place to ensure there were enough staff with appropriate skills to safely care for people. Staff weren’t appropriately trained in first aid or catheter care which is essential when caring for people in this environment. Also, recruitment checks and references weren’t always received before staff started work.
“Our inspectors saw significant risks around choking. Staff didn’t know who was at high risk, or what to do to support them. One person who should have had soft food was given biscuits and sandwiches. There was no choking risk assessment in the person's care plan which could put them at serious risk of harm.
“We weren’t assured that appropriate infection prevention and control measures were in place. We saw one person's bedding was stained and a dirty towel was being used to dry people's dishes. This had been raised previously and no action had been taken to address this.
“Staff worked with patience and care, although it was disappointing that they had little opportunity to engage with people, other than when supporting them with their care needs.
“We will monitor the home closely and will not hesitate to take further action if we feel people are not safe and are at risk of harm.”
Inspectors found the following:
- Risks were not safely managed in relation to people's care, for infection prevention and control, choking as well as moving and handling people.
- Records of people's care and support were not adequately kept. Care plans did not sufficiently reflect people's needs and were not up to date.
- Fire safety procedures were not adequate, and staff did not all know how to support people in the event of a fire.
- The registered manager was enthusiastic and expressed the will to make changes when these were identified. However, there was insufficient evidence of driving improvement or overview of the risks in the service.
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