Springkell House Care Home

This inspection report for Springkell House Care Home by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of the service's performance across key areas. The report details findings based on visits and feedback from residents, relatives, and staff, aiming to inform families about the quality of care provided. Overall, the inspection found that while many aspects of the care are positive, there are areas identified for further development to ensure consistent high standards.

On safety, the home ensures residents are protected from harm, with sufficient staff available to meet needs and knowledgeable about risk management. Medicines are administered safely, and robust infection control procedures are in place. Staff are trained in safeguarding and understand how to report concerns, with clear personal emergency evacuation plans for residents.

In terms of how effective the care is, residents are supported to make choices and live their lives in the least restrictive way possible, with policies aligning with best interests. While resident and relative feedback was positive about engagement, the home lacked systems to gather and act on feedback from external professionals.

Regarding how caring the service is, residents and their relatives reported feeling safe and well looked after by kind staff. The atmosphere within the home was described as positive, with residents generally feeling listened to and respected.

Concerning how responsive the service is, the home actively sought feedback from residents and their families, incorporating suggestions for improvements. However, there was no formal process to capture and respond to feedback from visiting healthcare professionals, and some offered training in specialised areas, such as pressure care, was not consistently taken up.

In terms of how well-led the service is, the home has a new manager who has applied to be registered. While staff feel supported and understand their roles, governance systems were found to be inconsistently effective. For instance, the provider's own audits did not identify a lack of specific protocols for 'when required' medications, though this was addressed promptly. The service also operated for a significant period without a registered manager, a situation that has now been rectified with a timely application to the CQC.