Care Plus Essex Limited (part of Manorcourt Care) was rated Good overall at its August 2015 inspection, with a Requires Improvement rating for Safe due to 21 missed calls recorded in 2014 and gaps in staff competency assessment for PEG tube medication administration. All other key questions were rated Good, reflecting strong leadership, caring staff, robust recruitment, and effective governance systems.
Concerns (6)
moderate
Missed or late visits
: “records showed in 2014 there were 21 recorded missed calls... some gave an explanation as, 'missed off the rota.'”
moderateMedication management: “there was no further assessment of staff's competence once they had received the initial training which was class based”
moderateCare planning: “one person told us they were concerned that staff were late in the morning because they were diabetic... This was not recorded in their care plan”
minorMedication management: “there was not an explanation about what the medicines were for and one person did not have a completed risk assessment”
minorCommunication with families: “two people told us that they were not always informed about staff changes”
minorRecord keeping: “One person told us that their care plan was reviewed at least every three months... This was not supported by records held in their home”
Strengths
· Staff demonstrated good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were confident in raising concerns
· Robust staff recruitment processes including DBS checks, references, and structured interviews
· Comprehensive induction programme including moving and handling, infection control, medication, MCA and safeguarding
· Regular supervision, spot checks, and annual appraisals in place for all staff
· Medicine audits were robust and MAR sheets completed correctly with no unexplained gaps
Quality-Statement breakdown (16)
safe: Missed calls and visit reliabilityRequires improvement
safe: Medication management and competency assessmentRequires improvement
safe: Safeguarding knowledge and proceduresGood
safe: Risk assessmentsGood
safe: Staff recruitmentGood
effective: Staff training and inductionGood
effective: Supervision and appraisalGood
effective: Consent and mental capacityGood
effective: Health and dietary needs monitoringGood
caring: Dignity, respect and person-centred careGood
caring: Involvement in care decisionsGood
responsive: Care planning and reviewGood
responsive: Complaints handlingGood
responsive: Flexibility and responsiveness to changing needsGood
Care Plus Essex Limited part of Manorcourt Care achieved a Good rating across all five key questions at this October 2018 inspection, having addressed previous concerns about missed calls and medicines competency assessment. The service demonstrated safe medicines management, personalised care planning, compassionate staff, effective governance and strong leadership under a new manager.
Strengths
· New manager significantly reduced missed calls since April 2018 through increased staffing, improved rota management and better communication with staff
· People received medicines safely with staff competency assessed prior to administering medicines
· Personalised risk assessments in place and staff trained in safeguarding responsibilities
· People and relatives consistently praised staff for kindness, respect and caring attitudes
· Effective auditing systems including detailed medicine record audits with prompt corrective action