Ramsey Step Down and Care Centre

Ramsey Step Down and Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 37 people, initially established to support hospital discharges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The home continues to offer a vital step-down service for patients requiring ongoing nursing care after leaving hospital, while also accommodating some individuals for longer stays and end-of-life care. At the time of the inspection, 26 people were living at the service. Stakeholders highlight the home as a strategically important and flexible facility that successfully achieves positive outcomes and impacts for people during high-demand periods.

When it comes to safety, the service maintained clean premises with effective infection control measures and robust staff recruitment procedures, and people received their prescribed medicines. However, risk assessments and care plans lacked crucial detail regarding specific health conditions, equipment was not always systematically maintained, and individual emergency evacuation plans were missing.

The care provided was not always fully consistent in its effectiveness. While staff supported people in their best interests and demonstrated a good daily understanding of mental capacity, the formal systems and care plans failed to meet legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act, lacking proper capacity assessments and reviews for residents extending their stays.

The atmosphere was compassionate and respectful, reflecting a genuinely positive culture within the home. Relatives and representatives spoke warmly of the service and the positive outcomes achieved, noting that staff communicated well and ensured residents felt genuinely included in decisions about their daily lives.

The service proved highly responsive to individual needs, offering personalised care and engaging residents in activities that maintained their skills and independence. Staff worked well with external agencies, provided dedicated support at the end of life, and were actively reviewing visiting arrangements to ensure families felt welcome beyond the original short-stay schedule.

Leadership and oversight required clear improvements. Management lacked robust formal systems to oversee clinical care, track safety trends, manage internal investigations with full transparency, and properly determine staffing mixes, though the management team responded positively to inspection feedback and began taking corrective action.