Working at Sandholme Fold

Improvements were needed in relation to managing risks to people’s health and safety, managing medicines... The service did not always make sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs.

Staff told us they viewed supervision as more of a ‘telling off’ and we saw evidence to support this. Some staff told us that they had not previously felt able to speak up prior to the new manager coming into post.

Staffing levels were adequate to meet people’s basic needs, but deployment of staff was not always effective. Care staff told us team leaders did not get involved in providing direct care to people and this could make things difficult at times.

Staff had received training, but the training matrix indicated some staff had not received refresher training for several years in areas such as medicines management and dementia care. There was also limited evidence of staff having received first aid training.

The governance systems and processes in place were ineffective and had not been consistently implemented. The provider oversight had been insufficient, leading to weaknesses in the quality and consistency of the service.

A relative told us, “There are no longer any activities for the residents to enjoy”. People did not have enough opportunities to engage in meaningful activity, or to make choices and decisions about how to spend their time each day.