Platinum Care Services

At this inspection we found 2 breaches of legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, and good governance. Following this inspection the overall rating has changed from good to requires improvement.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’. This guidance supported judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence and access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found the provider was not consistently meeting the principles of Right support, right care, right culture. People’s needs, preferences, aspirations and outcomes were not always reviewed in accordance with its principles. This limited people’s opportunity to live an ordinary life and be supported in ways that reflected their individual choices and goals.Risks to people were not always assessed, monitored or managed effectively. Environmental safety checks and fire safety arrangements were not robust. The home was not clean and well organised. Governance systems were in place but were not always effective and did not always address shortfalls in a timely way. People’s care records did not consistently detail goals, aspirations or opportunities for people to build their independence or develop new skills.

Our observations of staff were mixed. We saw some warm, caring and respectful interactions. However, we also saw poor interactions or times with limited or no engagement with people. The registered manager and staff we spoke with had detailed knowledge of people’s care and support needs. People were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends and regular reviews of people’s care took place. Medicines were well managed and people’s healthcare needs were met. Staff were recruited safely. People were supported to access the local community.

The provider took action during the inspection to address the concerns we shared with them. We saw these improvements had been made on day 2 and day 3 of our visit. This included bringing forward some planned repairs and maintenance work; deep cleaning the home; replacing worn furnishings; improving cleaning practices; replacing fire doors; improving the maintenance of the garden and making it accessible and safe; replacing restrictors on 3 windows; addressing the odour in several parts of the home; improving food storage; removing rubbish and a skip from outside the home; and refurbishing the laundry and making a clean and dirty work flow.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment and the breaches of regulation 12 and 17.