Sunningdale Nursing Home is a large converted Victorian property, located close to the promenade in Southport, Merseyside. It is registered to provide accommodation for 32 people who need nursing care.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection we found breaches of the Health and Social care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 relating to medicines, staff support, care planning and the home’s governance arrangements.

Staff told us they felt appropriately trained and supported. We found however that staff were not always being provided with training they needed to undertake their job role safely and effectively.

Care plans did not always provide information to inform staff about people’s support needs. This placed people at risk of receiving unsafe care.

Medicines were not managed safely. For example, people did not have a plan of care for their medicines and medicines prescribed had not always been given by the staff.

Quality assurance systems were in place but did not operate effectively enough to ensure people received a well-managed service.

People said they felt safe living at the home and were supported in a safe way by staff.

The staff we spoke with described how they would recognise abuse and the action they would take to ensure actual or potential harm was reported. An adult safeguarding policy and the Local Authority’s safeguarding procedure was available for staff referral.

Staff sought people’s consent before providing support or care. The home adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Applications to deprive people of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) had been submitted to the Local Authority.

Staff had been appropriately recruited to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
People living at the home and staff told us that the majority of the time there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to care for them.

Risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been assessed in accordance with people’s needs.

Staff worked well with health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care and support they needed. Staff made referrals to healthcare professionals for advice and support at the appropriate time.

People’s individual needs and preferences were respected by staff. People told us staff were kind, caring and respectful in their approach. We observed positive interaction between the staff and people they supported.

A varied social programme led by an activities organiser was available for people to participate in.

People told us they enjoyed the meals and were able to choose what they would like to eat. We found the dining experience chaotic on the first day of the inspection, however on the second day lunch was better organised and a more pleasant experience for everyone.

People we spoke with and their relatives told us that staff had the skills and approach needed to
ensure people were receiving the care and support they needed. People told us they were invited to give feedback about the home through meetings and daily discussions with the staff.

The culture within the service was and open and transparent. Staff and people said the home was ‘well run’ and the registered manager approachable.

Staff were aware of the whistle blowing policy and said they would not hesitate to use it.

A complaints’ procedure was available and people living at the home were aware of how to raise a concern in the home.

There was a maintenance programme and arrangements in place for checking the environment was safe. Risks associated with hazards such as slips, trips and trailing wires were recorded as part of the service’s health and safety measures to keep people safe. We however identified some risks during the inspection. The registered manager undertook a health and safety audit of the home and took prompt action to address these areas.

The manager was aware of their responsibility to notify us Care Quality Commission (CQC) of any notifiable incidents in the home.

Read the full report here