Hartshill Care Home

This inspection was brought forward following a review of the information we held about the service and concerns about the management of risks. We found 1 breach of the regulations in relation to the governance of the home.

During this inspection we spoke with people who lived at the service, their relatives, staff, the newly appointed manager, the provider’s representative and sought feedback from other healthcare professionals. We looked at care plans, recruitment files and quality assurance records.

There had been significant changes in the leadership and staff team at Hartshill Care Home which had led to instability and concerns about previously identified standards of care not being maintained. The provider and managers had carried out checks and audits of the service, but they had failed to detect and address safety deficiencies within the physical environment, fire safety and infection control practices. Where responsibility for checks and audits had been delegated, there was ineffective oversight by the provider to ensure they were robust and identifying issues.

The provider had very recently appointed a new management team who appeared eager to improve practice and drive improvement in the home. The new manager had already identified and prioritised improvements that needed to be made and external healthcare professionals described better communication to support partnership working. The provider and the new management team were very responsive to our feedback and took prompt action to address the immediate concerns we identified.

Staff had a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and there were processes to share information about people as they transitioned between services. Medicines were managed, stored, administered and disposed of safely, in accordance with best practice guidance.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.