Arden House Residential Care Home

The service was last inspected in April 2021 and rated Requires Improvement. This inspection was planned to follow up on concerns raised regarding peoples’ care.

At this inspection, the provider was in breach of the legal regulations relating to medicine management and good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to some of the concerns found at this assessment.

People’s safety was not consistently considered. There were no records of lessons learned following incidents. Risk assessments relating to health needs were incomplete and lacked guidance and advice for staff. Some risk assessments for example, for people living with epilepsy or choking were not in place. Medicine errors such as gaps in the medicine administration records had not been recorded and not all PRN (as required) medicines had protocols in place to advise staff about safe administration.

Care plans lacked a person-centred approach and people’s daily records were task based and did not reflect people’s mental and social well-being. The documentation to support end of life support and care was incomplete. Whilst staff and people said they could speak up; they also said action was not always taken. The governance and overview of processes had not ensured safe and consistent care. The in-house audits were not robust and had not identified the shortfalls found during the inspection.

The provider took immediate action to make improvements where issues had been identified during the on-site visits. For example, covering hot pipes and updating care documentation. Staff also received training in the new care plan system during the assessment process.

Staff received an induction, and training enabled them to manage people’s health and social care effectively and in a responsive way. The home was clean and provided a comfortable environment. People enjoyed their meals and were supported by staff to follow a healthy lifestyle if they chose to. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion, and there was a positive and friendly culture in the service. Staff spoke positively about the management team, and leaders and how they worked together as a team.