Easterlea

We found 2 breaches of the legal Regulations. The provider no longer had systems and processes in place for the safe use of medicines and people had not always been safeguarded from abuse. Overall, risks were assessed and planned for. Safety related events were not consistently used as an opportunity to put things right, learn and improve. However, there were enough staff to meet people’s needs and the premises and equipment were kept clean and hygienic.

We found 1 breach of the Regulations. The provider no longer had effective governance arrangements in place to identify shortfalls or help drive improvements. There was a lack of organisational vision to ensure care and support was delivered in line with evidence based practice and standards. Policies and procedures which help to ensure that staff and leaders are clear about their role and responsibilities needed to be updated. There had been a failure to notify the Care Quality Commission in a timely way of safety related events that had occurred within the service. Records relating to people’s care were not always sufficiently detailed, person centred or drafted in line with good practice standards. The provider’s representative told us of plans to enlist someone with suitable expertise to help develop governance systems including human resources management, which will support the registered manager and deputy manager in their roles. They also told us of plans to link in more with the provider’s other care home service, to promote shared learning. However, most staff spoke of a positive, person centred, culture within the service and of a sense of trust and confidence in the skills of the leadership team who they felt were visible within the service, supportive and made them feel valued. Staff told us they were encouraged to raise concerns without the fear and team meetings could be used to share suggestions or ideas.