Little Heaton Care Home

Updated 24 November 2023

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 checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Little Heaton 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. Little Heaton is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 13 October 2023 and ended on 2 November 2023. We visited the location’s service on 13 October 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We gathered feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We looked around the home and observed how staff interacted with people. We also observed the lunchtime meal. We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 5 relatives about their experience of the care. We also spoke with the registered manager and the provider’s compliance and operations manager. We emailed 7 care staff a short questionnaire for their feedback about the service. We received 2 replies. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records, medicine administration records and 3 staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection. These included audits, training and supervision records and checks of the equipment.

Updated 24 November 2023

About the service

Little Heaton Care Home is situated in Middleton, a town in the metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. It is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to 25 people, some of whom may be living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 24 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The home environment needed improving. Some paintwork was in poor condition, some carpets were stained and minor repairs to the environment were needed. Good infection control practices had not always been followed.

There were effective safeguarding systems in place. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and felt comfortable to raise concerns. There were sufficient staff to provide care and support to people promptly and attentively. Staff had been safely recruited. Medicines were generally well managed. However, we found minor discrepancies in some medicines documentation.

Staff had received appropriate training and supervision. People were provided with a balanced diet and had their weight monitored. People were helped to maintain their health, and referrals to specialist professionals for advice and support were made when required. 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. Improvements were needed to the environment to make it more suitable for people living with dementia.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. We identified an issue around the confidentiality of private information. This was dealt with immediately.

Whilst some checks and audits were regularly carried out by the registered manager and the provider’s compliance and operations manager to monitor the quality and safety of the service, they had not identified the concerns we found during our inspection. However, they responded straight away and produced an action plan which described how they would make the required improvements. People, relatives and staff were complimentary about how the service was managed.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 23 October 2018)

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.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have made 2 recommendations. These relate to infection control and making the environment more suitable for people living with dementia.

Follow up

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