Inspection Report We are the regulator: Our job is to check whether hospitals, care homes and care services are meeting essential standards. St John's Care Home 66 Hawthorn Bank, Spalding, PE11 1JQ Tel: 01775710567 Date of Inspection: 16 September 2013 Date of Publication: October 2013 We inspected the following standards in response to concerns that standards weren't being met. This is what we found: Care and welfare of people who use services Staffing Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision Action needed Met this standard Met this standard Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 1
Details about this location Registered Provider Overview of the service Type of service Regulated activity A & N Kachra St John's Care Home is located in the market town of Spalding in Lincolnshire. It is registered to provide accommodation to up to a maximum of 55 people. It does not provide nursing care. Care home service without nursing Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 2
Contents When you read this report, you may find it useful to read the sections towards the back called 'About CQC inspections' and 'How we define our judgements'. Summary of this inspection: Page Why we carried out this inspection 4 How we carried out this inspection 4 What people told us and what we found 4 What we have told the provider to do 4 More information about the provider 5 Our judgements for each standard inspected: Care and welfare of people who use services 6 Staffing 9 Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision 11 Information primarily for the provider: Action we have told the provider to take 12 About CQC Inspections 13 How we define our judgements 14 Glossary of terms we use in this report 16 Contact us 18 Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 3
Summary of this inspection Why we carried out this inspection We carried out this inspection in response to concerns that one or more of the essential standards of quality and safety were not being met. This was an unannounced inspection. How we carried out this inspection We looked at the personal care or treatment records of people who use the service, carried out a visit on 16 September 2013, observed how people were being cared for and checked how people were cared for at each stage of their treatment and care. We talked with staff. What people told us and what we found This was a responsive review after we had been given information which alleged people were being woken against their will, staffing levels had not been reappraised and two people had been incorrectly assessed prior to admission. On arrival in the home we were informed by staff people who used the service had no or limited capacity to make informed decisons to speak with us. This was confirmed in their care plans. We therefore we did not speak to anyone who used the service but instead observed their care. There was insufficient evidence to support why people had been washed and dressed before 7am in the morning. Staffing levels had just been reappraised and staff had been informed at a recent staff meeting of the new levels. Dependency levels of people who used the service had been assessed on admission but there was no formal mechanism to ensure the provider was kept abreast of changes in people's needs. Two people had been fully assessed prior to admission and steps taken by staff to monitor their care needs whilst at the home. Although information had been passed to the local safeguarding tea, this differed from that given to the Care Quality Commission.The safeguarding team of the local authority monitor and investigate any allegations of suspected abuse. You can see our judgements on the front page of this report. What we have told the provider to do We have asked the provider to send us a report by 16 October 2013, setting out the action they will take to meet the standards. We will check to make sure that this action is taken. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 4
Where providers are not meeting essential standards, we have a range of enforcement powers we can use to protect the health, safety and welfare of people who use this service (and others, where appropriate). When we propose to take enforcement action, our decision is open to challenge by the provider through a variety of internal and external appeal processes. We will publish a further report on any action we take. More information about the provider Please see our website www.cqc.org.uk for more information, including our most recent judgements against the essential standards. You can contact us using the telephone number on the back of the report if you have additional questions. There is a glossary at the back of this report which has definitions for words and phrases we use in the report. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 5
Our judgements for each standard inspected Care and welfare of people who use services Action needed People should get safe and appropriate care that meets their needs and supports their rights Our judgement The provider was not meeting this standard. Care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We have judged that this has a major impact on people who use the service, and have told the provider to take action. Please see the 'Action' section within this report. Reasons for our judgement We asked senior staff when we arrived early in the morning if any people who were currently awake could make a decision to speak to us. They told us no one could. We looked at seven care plans and saw In each of the cases the assessment showed people had no or limited capacity to make decisions for themselves.this was in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which tests people's ability to make decisions. Therefore we did not interview people who were awake. We arrived at 7am in the morning and toured the whole home. We found six people were either in the sitting room areas or were walking around. Each person was fully dressed. We looked in each of the occupied bedrooms and found four people lying on their beds fully clothed. The explanation given by staff was they had been instructed if people who used the service were awake they should be washed and dressed. We asked whether the time of day mattered and were told no. During our walk around the building between 7am and 8:30am staff were observed attending to people's personal hygiene needs and dressing them. We did not observe any staff asking people whether they wished to get up at those times. Staff told us some people had previous jobs where they had been required to get up early, so liked to do so now; such as working in a post office. We could not see where this was recorded in the care plans. Within the seven care plans we reviewed we were specifically looking for assessments which had been completed on whether people had preferred times of getting up or going to bed. In the admission information we found five out of seven sections about people's sleep Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 6
patterns was blank. In the other two records there was only brief information such as, "Usually in bed by 7pm. Awake 7:30am". This comment was on the record of a person where it was regularly recorded they had received a wash by the night staff, who go home at 7am. The staff used other records to record events which had taken place during a 24hour period. A document entitled preference sheets, recorded sleep patterns in different ways. On one sheet the rising time was blank but the going to bed time was stated as 9pm. Another stated, "Time varies". The content of those preferences sheets varied from person to person. We did not see any which had been finished completely. Another record in use was a 24hour monitoring chart. Staff recorded each event, each hour of the day, for each person. We checked there was a record for each of the people resident and there was. A code was used to show what had occurred, for example the letter "s" for when a person was asleep and the letters "p/c" for when a person received personal care. Staff confirmed "p/c" meant they had received a wash or bed bath. There were other codes for baths and showers. We looked at the records for seven people, over a seven day period. In some cases these showed people had received personal care at 5am or 6am. In three cases this was on three occasions in one week. In the same records one person received personal care six times in seven days at 5am. In the care plans a section had been devoted to sleep records. The beginning section had boxes for staff to complete for care details to be recorded; such as how many pillows people liked, whether they required to be woken during the night. This section also had boxes to record peoples' preferred rising and going to bed times. The majority had not been completed. Some had recorded bed times such as, "Bedtime is 8-9pm", or "Rising early, bedtime 9pm". Four out of seven records had no details about the preferred times people liked to get up each day. In the same section staff recorded daily what had occurred each night. These included events such as disturbed nights where a person was wandering during the night or if they had required help to use the toilet. These did not record when a person had been out of bed and dressed in the mornings. The manager told us this was because those records were completed at 4am by the night staff and they would not return to them to enter anything else prior to those staff going off shift at 7am. Through a 24hour period, at shift changes staff wrote brief notes in a handover diary. We looked at a seven day period in each diary. In the upstairs diary on one occasion staff had recorded they had washed eight people before 7am; seven on another occasion and six on another. In the downstairs diary one person was washed before night staff went off duty each day but on one occasion a further three people had been washed and on another a further two. We saw in the diary kept on the first floor, a message, from the manager, to all staff on 16 July 2013. This instructed the night staff to wash more people for the day staff. The manager stated she had not written the message and this was not the original instruction she had given. Prior to the manager's comment we had interviewed staff about their understanding of when people could get up in the morning. They told us their instruction from management was as people woke up to wash and dress them. We had received information alleging there were not enough activities for people to participate in. There were photographs on display of events which had taken place throughout the year. A weekly programme was on display detailing events held during the week. These included exercises to music, memory and board games. Staff confirmed these took place. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 7
In each of the seven care plans we reviewed there was an assessment of each person's social and recreational needs. Some listed hobbies and interests they had. A separate record showed what people had participated in. For example bingo, craft work, outings or one to one events such as reading a newspaper. We observed staff during the day talking to people who used the service about their families, the weather and what was on the television. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 8
Staffing Met this standard There should be enough members of staff to keep people safe and meet their health and welfare needs Our judgement The provider was meeting this standard. There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Reasons for our judgement Staff told us that at certain times of the day they were more rushed than others. One person said "Its difficult to balance the day at times to help each other out, phone doctors etc." Another person said, "We do try and help each other on different floors and work as a team." Another person said, "It should be better now the numbers have increased." We observed staff going about their daily tasks and assisting people in a calm manner throughout the day. Staff told us they usually were able to find other staff cover if staff called in sick at the last minute. There was very little sickness or annual leave recorded on the staff rotas we reviewed. We looked at the staff rotas for a period of a month commencing on 2 September 2013. These showed there had been an increase in staffing levels in the middle of September 2013. We were told this was because the occupancy of the home had increased. The dependency levels of each person who used the service were completed on admission. The manager told us they used the funding criteria set by the local authority to determine the low, medium or high needs of people who used the service. If a person required nursing care, they asked the district nursing service to make an assessment of a persons' needs. The provider may wish to note there was no formal way of recording or escalating up to the higher management level if people's dependency level changed. Staff levels were set by the provider from information obtained from the home's manager and during visits to the home by the area manager and provider. This was used in conjunction with the Laing and Buisson model, (a calculation tool to determine safe staffing levels), to ascertain whether there were sufficient staff to meet people's needs. The provider told us they also took into consideration the layout of the building, which in this case was complicated. Staff told us they could express any concerns in staff meetings. We saw the minutes of meetings for senior staff which had taken place in July 2013 and care and general staff in September 2013. These detailed the staffing levels which had been agreed. The meeting in September 2013 described a twilight shift which was to commence to enable more staff Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 9
to be available at a busy time, such as late evening. Staff had been informed staffing would be increased as the occupancy levels increased. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 10
Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision Met this standard The service should have quality checking systems to manage risks and assure the health, welfare and safety of people who receive care Our judgement The provider was meeting this standard. The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive. Reasons for our judgement We had been given information which alleged appropriate action had not been taken to ensure two people had been correctly assessed prior to admission and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had not been correctly informed of incidents which had occurred. We reviewed the care plans of both people and saw the assessment documentation was in both sets of notes. The assessments had been completed by the manager but as the people concerned were in new environments,staff had documented they felt this had contributed to their aggressive behaviour. Staff had recorded in the care plans when observations had commenced on a one to one basis and any action taken. Senior staff had recorded when they had asked for the assistance of other health and social care professionals and when they had liaised with family members. An investigation was still on-going at the home into the behaviour of two members of staff who had been suspended after one incident had occurred. The provider told us they would keep us informed of the outcome of the independent investigation. Information had been given to the local safeguarding adults team concerning the behaviour of one person who used the service. This information was not the same as the information given to CQC on a notification form. The provider may wish to note that all documentation must be accurate when sent to CQC or any other outside agency. The full correct information had been given to the safeguarding team. The provider had a policy in place explaining to staff what to do if they felt someone was at risk of abuse. We saw the training records of all staff which showed they had received training in the protection of vulnerable adults during 2012 and 2013. We spoke to the inhouse trainer who gave us a brief outline of the training they gave. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 11
This section is primarily information for the provider Action we have told the provider to take Compliance actions The table below shows the essential standards of quality and safety that were not being met. The provider must send CQC a report that says what action they are going to take to meet these essential standards. Regulated activity Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care Regulation Regulation 9 HSCA 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 Care and welfare of people who use services How the regulation was not being met: The provider must ensure people's needs have been assessed to ensure they can go to bed and rise in the morning at a time which suits their health and wellbeing. Those needs must be recorded and audits completed to ensure peoples wishes are being carried out. This report is requested under regulation 10(3) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. The provider's report should be sent to us by 16 October 2013. CQC should be informed when compliance actions are complete. We will check to make sure that action has been taken to meet the standards and will report on our judgements. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 12
About CQC inspections We are the regulator of health and social care in England. All providers of regulated health and social care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting essential standards of quality and safety. These are the standards everyone should be able to expect when they receive care. The essential standards are described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. We regulate against these standards, which we sometimes describe as "government standards". We carry out unannounced inspections of all care homes, acute hospitals and domiciliary care services in England at least once a year to judge whether or not the essential standards are being met. We carry out inspections of other services less often. All of our inspections are unannounced unless there is a good reason to let the provider know we are coming. There are 16 essential standards that relate most directly to the quality and safety of care and these are grouped into five key areas. When we inspect we could check all or part of any of the 16 standards at any time depending on the individual circumstances of the service. Because of this we often check different standards at different times. When we inspect, we always visit and we do things like observe how people are cared for, and we talk to people who use the service, to their carers and to staff. We also review information we have gathered about the provider, check the service's records and check whether the right systems and processes are in place. We focus on whether or not the provider is meeting the standards and we are guided by whether people are experiencing the outcomes they should be able to expect when the standards are being met. By outcomes we mean the impact care has on the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service, and the experience they have whilst receiving it. Our inspectors judge if any action is required by the provider of the service to improve the standard of care being provided. Where providers are non-compliant with the regulations, we take enforcement action against them. If we require a service to take action, or if we take enforcement action, we re-inspect it before its next routine inspection was due. This could mean we re-inspect a service several times in one year. We also might decide to reinspect a service if new concerns emerge about it before the next routine inspection. In between inspections we continually monitor information we have about providers. The information comes from the public, the provider, other organisations, and from care workers. You can tell us about your experience of this provider on our website. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 13
How we define our judgements The following pages show our findings and regulatory judgement for each essential standard or part of the standard that we inspected. Our judgements are based on the ongoing review and analysis of the information gathered by CQC about this provider and the evidence collected during this inspection. We reach one of the following judgements for each essential standard inspected. Met this standard This means that the standard was being met in that the provider was compliant with the regulation. If we find that standards were met, we take no regulatory action but we may make comments that may be useful to the provider and to the public about minor improvements that could be made. Action needed This means that the standard was not being met in that the provider was non-compliant with the regulation. We may have set a compliance action requiring the provider to produce a report setting out how and by when changes will be made to make sure they comply with the standard. We monitor the implementation of action plans in these reports and, if necessary, take further action. We may have identified a breach of a regulation which is more serious, and we will make sure action is taken. We will report on this when it is complete. Enforcement action taken If the breach of the regulation was more serious, or there have been several or continual breaches, we have a range of actions we take using the criminal and/or civil procedures in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and relevant regulations. These enforcement powers include issuing a warning notice; restricting or suspending the services a provider can offer, or the number of people it can care for; issuing fines and formal cautions; in extreme cases, cancelling a provider or managers registration or prosecuting a manager or provider. These enforcement powers are set out in law and mean that we can take swift, targeted action where services are failing people. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 14
How we define our judgements (continued) Where we find non-compliance with a regulation (or part of a regulation), we state which part of the regulation has been breached. Only where there is non compliance with one or more of Regulations 9-24 of the Regulated Activity Regulations, will our report include a judgement about the level of impact on people who use the service (and others, if appropriate to the regulation). This could be a minor, moderate or major impact. Minor impact - people who use the service experienced poor care that had an impact on their health, safety or welfare or there was a risk of this happening. The impact was not significant and the matter could be managed or resolved quickly. Moderate impact - people who use the service experienced poor care that had a significant effect on their health, safety or welfare or there was a risk of this happening. The matter may need to be resolved quickly. Major impact - people who use the service experienced poor care that had a serious current or long term impact on their health, safety and welfare, or there was a risk of this happening. The matter needs to be resolved quickly We decide the most appropriate action to take to ensure that the necessary changes are made. We always follow up to check whether action has been taken to meet the standards. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 15
Glossary of terms we use in this report Essential standard The essential standards of quality and safety are described in our Guidance about compliance: Essential standards of quality and safety. They consist of a significant number of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. These regulations describe the essential standards of quality and safety that people who use health and adult social care services have a right to expect. A full list of the standards can be found within the Guidance about compliance. The 16 essential standards are: Respecting and involving people who use services - Outcome 1 (Regulation 17) Consent to care and treatment - Outcome 2 (Regulation 18) Care and welfare of people who use services - Outcome 4 (Regulation 9) Meeting Nutritional Needs - Outcome 5 (Regulation 14) Cooperating with other providers - Outcome 6 (Regulation 24) Safeguarding people who use services from abuse - Outcome 7 (Regulation 11) Cleanliness and infection control - Outcome 8 (Regulation 12) Management of medicines - Outcome 9 (Regulation 13) Safety and suitability of premises - Outcome 10 (Regulation 15) Safety, availability and suitability of equipment - Outcome 11 (Regulation 16) Requirements relating to workers - Outcome 12 (Regulation 21) Staffing - Outcome 13 (Regulation 22) Supporting Staff - Outcome 14 (Regulation 23) Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision - Outcome 16 (Regulation 10) Complaints - Outcome 17 (Regulation 19) Records - Outcome 21 (Regulation 20) Regulated activity These are prescribed activities related to care and treatment that require registration with CQC. These are set out in legislation, and reflect the services provided. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 16
Glossary of terms we use in this report (continued) (Registered) Provider There are several legal terms relating to the providers of services. These include registered person, service provider and registered manager. The term 'provider' means anyone with a legal responsibility for ensuring that the requirements of the law are carried out. On our website we often refer to providers as a 'service'. Regulations We regulate against the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. Responsive inspection This is carried out at any time in relation to identified concerns. Routine inspection This is planned and could occur at any time. We sometimes describe this as a scheduled inspection. Themed inspection This is targeted to look at specific standards, sectors or types of care. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 17
Contact us Phone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Write to us at: Care Quality Commission Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA Website: www.cqc.org.uk Copyright Copyright (2011) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Inspection Report St John's Care Home October 2013 www.cqc.org.uk 18