What the CQC found at Marks Tey

Staff were described as kind and nurturing. Inspectors saw people who appeared comfortable, happy and engaged.

“Staff were kind, caring and nurturing and as a result we saw people were at ease, happy, engaged and stimulated.” from the report

Care plans covered people's individual physical and mental health needs. Staff understood people's communication styles and delivered care in line with their plans.

“People's care plans were personalised, covering all aspects of their needs, including their physical and mental health needs.” from the report

People were supported to make decisions, gain skills and have as much choice and control as possible. Residents' meetings gave people a say in how the home was run.

“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.” from the report

Inspectors found the home, bedrooms and bathrooms clean and hygienic. Cleaning was supported by a regular cleaner and daily staff checks.

“Both houses were clean, modern, and homely. People's rooms were personalised to them.” from the report

Fire safety tests were not carried out consistently and fire drill records were missing. Personal evacuation plans did not fully reflect people's medicines, distress or anxiety.

“Routine fire safety tests were not carried out consistently, and fire drill records had not been completed.” from the report

Some medication and choking incidents were not fully investigated. Incidents and safeguarding concerns were not consistently analysed for patterns or lessons.

“Incidents, accidents, and safeguarding concerns were not being logged or analysed to identify themes or trends, root cause or actions for improved practice to prevent any reoccurrence.” from the report

The home did not always check whether staff understood their training, including staff whose first language was not English. Recruitment records and references were incomplete or difficult to locate.

“There had been no follow up assessment to ensure they had understood the content of the training and was competent to carry out their role.” from the report

Creams and ointments were not always dated when opened. Inspectors also found that some as-needed medicines protocols lacked enough detail about alternatives to medicine.

“These were not being signed and dated on opening to ensure they were used within the prescribed time frame, and expiry dates.” from the report

The home had no registered manager and had experienced three managers since the previous manager left. Staff said this affected morale and the quality of the service.

“The service has been without a registered manager since the previous registered manager resigned from the company in March 2022.” from the report

Audits did not identify several problems found during the inspection. Records were incomplete, and there was no overall improvement plan to track longer-term changes.

“The provider did not have an overarching service improvement plan in place to review the longer-term oversight of safety and quality of the service to ensure improvements were identified, carried out and sustained.” from the report