About the service Camelot Care Homes Ltd provides accommodation and nursing care for 57 older people in two adapted buildings. People have their own rooms and share communal areas such as lounges, dining rooms and bathrooms. Outdoor space is an enclosed courtyard area. At the time of our inspection there were 51 people living at the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People’s safety was not ensured. This was because there were shortfalls in fire safety and risk management. We observed inadequate fire safety systems in place which were not dealt with in a timely way. Whilst we shared our concerns with the registered manager, they could not confirm or provide assurance the work had been completed.
There were other risks within the environment. This included blocked fire escapes, trip hazards, unprotected hot water pipes, excessive hot water from hand wash basins, and unrestricted access to scalding water and hazardous substances. These hazards had not been identified by the registered manager or provider.
Inadequate systems were in place to prevent and control infection. Not all areas of the home were clean, as there were cobwebs in people’s bedrooms, stained carpets and brown marks on furniture and bed rail covers. Some areas were difficult to keep clean and needed repair. For example, there were peeling surfaces on the kitchen cupboards and missing tiles on some walls. There was carpet in the laundry room, which was not hygienic.
Not all accidents and incidents had been appropriately reported to CQC or the local safeguarding team. Adequate action had not always been taken to minimise a reoccurrence of an accident or incident. This included ensuring all external doors were secured, after a person went outside unsupported at nearly midnight and fell.
The provider had made some improvements regarding the safe administration of medicines since the last inspection. However, medicines were still not always being managed safely at the home.
People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. This was because people’s capacity had only been assessed in terms of them living at the home. There were no decision specific capacity assessments in place.
Staff supported people to eat and drink, and some people had their intake monitored. However, the monitoring records lacked detail or had not been fully completed. This showed people were not having enough food or fluid, so the monitoring process was not effective. The shortfalls had not been identified or escalated as a concern.
The information within people’s care plans lacked detail and did not always reflect individual needs and choices. There was limited information about health conditions, and wound care plans were not consistently in place. The terminology staff used within care records, was not always respectful and did not show an understanding of people’s needs.
People’s privacy and dignity was not always promoted. There were limited interactions between staff and people who used the service unless interventions were taking place. Not all showed a caring approach and there was mixed feedback about the staff. Staff were positive about their role, and said they enjoyed working with people.
There were auditing systems in place but these were not effective, as shortfalls found during this inspection had not been identified. The registered manager was not able to answer some questions about the management of the service, and some requested information could not be located. The registered manager did not have clear oversight of the service.
There were enough staff to support people, and call bells were answered in a timely manner. Staff covered any sickness or annual leave as necessary, and agency staff were also used. There were approximately 180 vacant care hours. Recruitment was ongoing with an aim to fill these vacancies. Robust recruitment procedures were being followed.
Staff received a range of training, which was deemed mandatory by the provider. This included health and safety, moving people safely and food safety. Some staff however were waiting for safeguarding training, and positive behavioural management training had not been undertaken. The registered nurses completed training for their professional development. Staff felt well supported and had one to one meetings with their line manager. They also had annual appraisals, to discuss achievements and areas to work on.
People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern. Records showed formal complaints which had been raised, but investigations or any correspondence to the complainant was not evidenced. People had been asked for feedback about the quality of the service they received.
Staff gave very positive feedback about the registered manager.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
At the last focused inspection, the rating for this service was Good (published 04/12/21).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s support and alleged restraint of a person and them being forced to eat. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Inadequate. This is based on the findings at this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Camelot Care Homes Ltd on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Enforcement and Recommendations
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection.
We have identified breaches in relation to risk management, the safe management of medicines, ensuring consent, person centred care, reporting incidents and accidents, and good governance.
We made on recommendation for the provider to improve documentation to evidence compliance with their complaint procedure.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Special Measures:.
The overall rating for this service is ‘Inadequate’ and the service is therefore in ‘special measures’. This means we will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider’s registration, we will re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements.
If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe. And there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.
For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months. If the service has demonstrated improvements when we inspect it. And it is no longer rated as inadequate for any of the five key questions it will no longer be in special measures.