The Gables Residential Home

“We found some radiator covers were loose or coming away from the wall, one had a hole in it. Some pipework was exposed but cool to touch. This should be risk assessed as pipework getting hot could contribute to avoidable scalding. Remedial actions were confirmed as completed by the registered manager and added to the daily health and safety audit. However, this issue had not been previously identified by the provider.”

“Whilst we considered the environment mostly safe, we felt it could be more personalised to suit the needs of people using the service and the rear garden more accessible. Following on from our inspection the registered manager called a resident meeting to discuss issues raised from the inspection. Further personalisation of communal rooms is being undertaken.”

“We found the home to be in good decorative order with no unpleasant smells or ill-fitting flooring. Falls within the service were low, as were recorded incidents. Some extensive refurbishments had been undertaken and planned within the budget.”

“We inspected environmental risk assessments, audits and daily walk about's. These were generally robust. Night audits were not in place, but the registered manager confirmed these are now in place.”

“The provider told us they ensured they had appropriate staffing levels. They said the home was fully staffed, and they rarely used agency or temporary staff and were recruiting bank staff to cover holidays etc. However, people told us they had concerns about staffing levels and staff often appeared busy and rushed. We discussed this with the registered manager as allocated staffing levels appeared generous. For example, one person told us “The staff always seem to be very busy. They help me to get washed and dressed. They don’t rush me, but they are always saying that they have another job to do.” Comments included staff not being replaced when they left and staff being under pressure at times of the day and, or weekends. We did not identify a direct impact on care, but people’s experiences were variable across the week.”

“We have asked the registered manager to consider the redeployment of staff and whether all staff were working effectively together. Service records, such as staff meeting minutes indicated ‘teamwork’ was an area for development and staff were being supported to work more effectively.”

“Throughout our observations people received unhurried care and there was the opportunity to take part in activities which were organised daily. However, on the day of our inspection a lot of people were in their bedrooms for most of the day and this included lunch time when the dining room remained empty. A few people chose to eat in the lounge. We were concerned about the risk of social isolation and why people would choose not to socialise even for some of the day. We found the environment whilst well maintained lacked stimulation. The lounge by the front door remained unused and the second lounge…”