Woolston Mead

Updated 2 September 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

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Woolston Mead 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. Woolston Mead 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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 spoke with 4 people who used the service and 5 family members about their experience of the care provided. We observed interactions and spoke with 2 friends of a person who used the service.

We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, care staff, domestic staff, the cook and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with a visiting professional from the local authority.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 7 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

Updated 2 September 2023

About the service

Woolston Mead is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 28 people. The service provides support to older people, a number of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

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

Ongoing improvements were needed to ensure people who used the service had appropriate risk assessments and care plans which reflected their current care needs. A particular focus was needed on new admissions to Woolston Mead or following people’s return from hospital.

Governance systems were in place to monitor the safety of the environment as well as the quality of the care being delivered. Further work was needed to ensure all bedroom areas were maintained to a high standard of cleanliness and decoration.

The registered manager and provider was responsive to any improvements we identified and took immediate action to address any issues raised. There was a commitment to delivering high quality care.

People spoke positively about the care they received and were supported by staff who knew them well. Support was delivered in a caring and patient manner. People were comfortable in the presence of staff and positive relationships had developed. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs and staff told us they felt well supported.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 15 August 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. However, the service remains rated requires improvement.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 14 July 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance. We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The inspection was also prompted in part by notification of an incident. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of falls and providing a safe environment. This inspection examined those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe section of this full report.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woolston Mead on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.