Spennymoor Care Home Limited

“We found the premises and equipment were well maintained, however, an up-to-date fire risk assessment was not in place. The provider made arrangements for this to be completed after our inspection.”

“PRN (when required) protocols were not in place for people’s medication and trends analysis was not completed regarding accident and incidents.”

“People were not always able to provide consent for the care they received. For instance, several people were in shared bedrooms and had sensor mats in place, which alerted staff when they attempted to walk. We asked the provider to ensure these decisions were clearly documented and taken in people’s best interests.”

“At the time of the inspection, the home used an old care planning system called Standex which had been in use for many years and was limited in its ability to record sufficient details about the care people required. Care plan documentation also made reference to the previous CQC methodology which was no longer used.”

“Further work was required to ensure the home was meeting the accessible information standard (AIS). The registered manager told us there was nobody living in the home who this related to; however, one person was registered blind and had blurred vision. We asked the provider to explore options to ensure this person’s needs were fully met.”

“Staff, relatives and people living in the home said there was good leadership of the service. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service, although the provider did not routinely carry out care plan audits meaning the discrepancies we found were not identified.”

“Although the provider worked closely with other organisations such as district nurses, GP’s and speech and language therapy (SaLT), they told us they did not have any links with the local community. We asked the provider to look into any initiatives within the local area.”

“Overall governance systems at the service needed to improve to ensure they identified and acted upon the concerns found during the inspection.”

“People told us they felt safe living at the home and there were enough staff available to deliver care. The home was clean and tidy and appropriate infection control procedures were used.”

“People living at the home and families made positive comments to us about the care provided. Staff were described as being kind and caring and we saw people looked clean and well-presented.”