Archived: Skellow Hall

Updated 13 January 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 28 October 2014 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of a lead inspector and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Their area of expertise included older people and caring for people living with dementia.

To help us to plan and identify areas to focus on in the inspection we considered all the information we held about the service, such as notifications and information from other agencies.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well, and improvements they plan to make. We also obtained the views of professionals who may have visited the home, such as Healthwatch and service commissioners. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service. We spoke with five people who used the service and a relative. We also spoke with the acting manager, the regional manager, three care workers and the cook. We looked at the care records for two people using the service and records relating to the management of the home. This included staff rotas, team meeting minutes, medication records, staff recruitment and training files. We also reviewed records of quality and monitoring audits carried out by the home’s management team and members of the provider’s senior management team.

Updated 13 January 2015

The inspection was unannounced, and the inspection visit was carried out on 28 October 2014. The care home was previously inspected in September 2013, when no breaches of legal requirements were identified.

Skellow Hall provides accommodation for up to 29 people on two floors. The home supports older people who require personal care but it does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were 24 people living at the home on a long term basis.

The service did not have a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection, but an acting manager had been appointed in June 2014. They told us they intended to submit their application to be registered when their probation period had concluded in early December. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

During our visit we saw staff supported people in a friendly and caring manner. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and any risks associated with their care were taken into consideration. We spoke with five people who used the service and a relative, who said that overall they were satisfied with the care and support provided.

People received their medicines in a safe and timely way from senior staff who had been trained to carry out this role.

Overall we found there was enough skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs. We saw a structured recruitment process was in place, which helped to make sure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received an induction at the beginning of their employment and essential training had been provided. This had been followed by regular refresher training to update their knowledge and skills.

We saw people received a well-balanced diet and were involved in choosing what they ate. The people we spoke with said they were happy with the meals provided. We saw specialist dietary needs had been assessed and catered for.

People’s needs had been assessed before they moved into the home and we saw they had been involved in formulating their care plan. We found care plans reflected people’s needs and preferences, and had been reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

The service did not have an activities co-ordinator and there was no structured programme in place to enable people to join in regular planned activities. However, the acting manager told us a new co-ordinator had been recruited and would be commencing employment as soon as satisfactory background checks were received. In the meantime care staff were providing social stimulation each afternoon if they had time and themed events had been arranged.

Overall people told us they had no complaints, but would feel comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns. We saw the complaints policy was easily available to people using or visiting the service. When concerns had been raised we saw the correct procedure had been used to investigate and resolve issues.

The provider had a system in place to enable people to share their opinion of the service provided and the general facilities at the home. We also saw regular audits had been used to check if company policies had been followed and the premise was safe and well maintained. Where improvements were needed the provider had put action plans in place to address these.