Hammerson House

Updated 25 May 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We planned this inspection to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by two inspectors, a nurse specialist and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Service and service type

Hammerson House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Hammerson House is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We carried out the inspection visit on 4 May 2022. It was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the home which included statutory notifications and safeguarding alerts. The service was not asked to complete the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with the director of care as well as the registered manager. We also spoke with six staff, three of whom were registered nurses.

We spoke with six people who lived at the service and four relatives. We looked at seven care records and three staff recruitment records. We also looked at various documents including training, medicines management and quality assurance checks carried out by the management team.

After the inspection visit, we received feedback from six relatives, two of whom had experience of end of life care for their family, and three health and social care professionals.

Updated 25 May 2022

About the service

Hammerson House is a residential and nursing home providing personal and nursing care for up to 116 people. The service provides support to people from the Jewish community, most of whom are over age 65. At the time of our inspection visit there were 50 older people using the service, with a range of disabilities.

People’s experience of using this service

People praised the care and support they received because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff, who treated them with dignity and respect. Relatives and health professionals praised the service, and told us the management team were proactive, responsive and the service was well-led.

Risks to people were assessed and detailed guidance was in place for staff to minimise the risk of avoidable harm including the prevention of avoidable infection. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.

The management team and staff were committed to providing a high-quality service. Staff had undertaken training and received good management support, so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs.

Care plans highlighted people’s abilities and needs in a person-centred way. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well. People told us that staff were able to meet their needs and were respectful of their individual preferences.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service was working hard to recruit a full permanent staff team. They used regular agency staff to supplement when needed. Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

Medicines were safely managed at the service.

The management team actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised. They were involved in a range of initiatives and projects to improve the quality of care at the service, and to raise awareness on a wider level of best practice in the care of older people.

The management team and provider had effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 26 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.