Valeries Care Home and Valeries Home Care

The home had an established staff team and did not need agency staff. Inspectors said this helped people receive consistent care from familiar staff.

“There was an established staff team at the service which meant the service did not need to use agency.” from the report

The home worked with GPs, district nurses, chiropodists and the local authority. Records of contact with health and social care professionals were clear and up to date.

“The provider had good working relationships with health and social care professionals.” from the report

Inspectors observed that staff sought consent and supported people to choose how their care was provided.

“Staff were patient, kind and upheld peoples' rights to choose how they wished their support to be delivered.” from the report

Two incidents that caused harm were not reported to the local safeguarding team. A further incident exposed a significant risk and immediate steps were not taken to prevent it happening again.

“We found 2 incidents which resulted in harm to residents had not been reported to the local authority safeguarding team.” from the report

Records showed some doses of as-needed paracetamol appeared to be given too close together. Some medicines and creams did not have opening dates, and the medicines fridge was initially unlocked.

“Medicines were not managed safely. This was a breach of regulation 12 (2)(g) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.” from the report

Inspectors found dirty communal bathrooms, kitchen areas and laundry facilities. They said these conditions created a risk of infection and cross-contamination.

“Many areas of the home were not clean. Communal bathrooms were not clean with stains in toilets and on commodes as well as visible dirt on toilet floors and an on sinks.” from the report

People were not always offered a varied diet or helped promptly to eat. Menus were not presented in a clear or accessible way, and one person called out twice before receiving help.

“Staff interaction with people during the mealtimes was minimal, and staff were slow to recognise when people needed help to eat.” from the report

Audits did not identify or fix several problems found by inspectors. The provider also did not consistently analyse incidents for patterns or show that required actions had been completed.

“Regular audits had taken place. However, the audits were not robust and had failed to identify and address some of the concerns we found during the inspection.” from the report