Rowland House Care Home

The service was without a registered manager. However, the provider had placed an interim manager to oversee the service. The interim manager had been in post for 3 months.

Improvements were needed to ensure staff were providing activities and meaningful opportunities on a regular basis to people. In addition, work needed to continue to embed a consistent improved culture of person-centred care to ensure it was sustained across all aspects of the service. Further work was required to develop external links and partnerships to help people stay connected with the wider community and enhance their quality of life and staff needed to be given the opportunity to be more involved in the running of the service through staff meetings.

Medicines storage arrangements needed to improve to help ensure medicines were stored in line with manufacturers guidance and some areas that were at risk of harbouring infection required action. The interim manager had, however, identified these areas as shortfalls and were already working on making the necessary changes.

People’s care plans lacked information around their life histories as well as their end of life wishes. Both would help staff to get to know people better and help provide them with greater detail to help them provide care in line with people’s preferences.

The interim manager had made positive changes to the service since being in post and staff fed back that they felt happier working at the service. They told us there were enough of them to provide care for people and that they felt management supported and listened to them.

There were good processes in place for recruitment of staff, recording and analysing accidents and incidents and reporting any issues of concern to the relevant authorities. Where external healthcare input was needed staff sought this promptly and they worked with these professionals to help provide people with the most appropriate care.