The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has changed the rating for Grafton Manor in Northamptonshire from good to inadequate and placed it into special measures following an inspection in November and December.
Grafton Manor is run by Partnerships in Care Limited, who are a part of the Priory Group. It is a nursing home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 26 adults. At the time of inspection there were 11 people with an acquired brain injury living at the service.
This unannounced inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels and safeguarding concerns. CQC identified breaches in relation to staffing, safe care and treatment.
The overall rating for Grafton Manor has dropped significantly from good to inadequate. The ratings for how safe and effective the service is have dropped from good to inadequate. The ratings for how caring and responsive it is has also dropped from good to requires improvement.
Following this inspection, CQC has placed Grafton Manor into special measures meaning it will be kept under close review and there needs to be rapid, widespread improvement.
Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“It’s worrying to find that the care and treatment provided by Grafton Manor has declined in all five key areas that we inspected. The provider couldn’t safely manage risks to people. This included how staff managed people’s health conditions, food and drink and how people were physically handled.
“Care records showed there were delays in people's needs being met due to staff not being available. For example, there were delays to personal care being provided following incontinence, this put people at risk of infection and damage to their skin.
“Additionally, people living with insulin dependent diabetes didn’t have care plans that reflected their current needs or inform staff how to mitigate known risks associated with the person's diabetes.
“We found people were at possible risk of harm from inappropriate physical interventions. Appropriate assessments hadn’t been completed to ensure this was in people's best interest, and not all incidents were recorded or reported. Also, agency staff hadn’t received appropriate training which must be addressed to keep people safe.
“The provider has developed an action plan to mitigate concerns found on inspection. We’ll continue to monitor the service closely and will return to check on progress, to ensure improvements have been made and embedded. If this is not the case, we will not hesitate to take further action.”
Inspectors found the following during this inspection:
- There were not enough suitable trained and supervised staff to meet people’s needs. The service relied on a high number of agency staff who had not received appropriate training
- The provider failed to make sure people’s needs were checked, monitored and managed
- The provider failed to regularly supervise and support staff in their roles
- There were environmental concerns around infection prevention with some areas of the home being visibly dirty.
However, inspectors also found:
- Staff had recorded and understood people’s communication needs
- Planned activities were in place and people enjoyed attending these with therapy staff.