Archived: Sandon House

Updated 2 July 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 15 June 2021 and was announced.

Updated 2 July 2021

This inspection was unannounced and took place on the 8 and 16 February 2018.

Sandon House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

We last carried out a comprehensive inspection of this service on 26 April and 2 May 2017. At that inspection we found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was because there was a lack of accurate records in relation to the care people who used the service received and the providers systems of checks and audits was not sufficiently robust.

We also made one recommendation that the provider reviews their procedures for ensuring and recording peoples consent and involvement in care planning.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to tell us what they intended to do and by when to improve the key questions; the service is safe, effective and well led to at least good. At this inspection, we found that improvements had been made in all areas.

Sandon House is a large purpose built establishment located in the village of Mossley which is in the Tameside area. The home provides 24 hour care and support for up to 42 people who require residential care without nursing. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living at the home.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. People who used the service spoke very highly of the registered manager and the way the service was run. We found the registered manager to be polite, friendly and helpful.

Staff were positive about working at the home and the changes the provider had made. Staff told us they enjoyed working with the people who lived at Sandon House. We observed staff had a kind and caring attitude towards people who lived at the home.

Staff were trained in safeguarding adults and were aware of how to identify and respond to allegations and signs of abuse. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing (reporting poor practice) policy, and how to raise any concerns.

Recruitment procedures were in place which ensured staff had been safely recruited. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff received the training, support and supervision they needed to carry out their roles effectively.

Medicines were stored safely and securely and procedures were in place to ensure people received medicines as prescribed.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded. Appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out and equipment was maintained and serviced appropriately.

People had access to a range of health care professionals. People at risk of poor nutrition and hydration had their needs regularly assessed and monitored.

We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to assess whether people were able to consent to their care and treatment. The registered manager was meeting their responsibility under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure that people's rights were considered and protected.

Everyone we spoke with told us staff at Sandon House were caring. During our inspection we observed staff had a kind and caring attitude towards people who lived at the home. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed.

Care records contained risk assessments and care plans that were person centred, detailed and written using respectful terms. People told us they received the support and care they needed.

There were a range of activities and social events in the home and in the community on offer to reduce people’s social isolation. People told us they enjoyed the activities.

There was a system in place to gather people’s views about the home and to record complaints and the service’s responses to them. People told us they didn’t have any complaints but were confident that they would be listened to and action would be taken to resolve any problems they had.

Staff meetings were held regularly where staff had an opportunity to raise any issues and were used to look at developing good practise. Staff we spoke with liked working for the service and told us they felt supported in their work.

There was a robust system of weekly, monthly and annual quality monitoring and auditing in place to help improve the quality of the service provided.

The service had notified CQC of any accidents, DoLS, serious incidents, and safeguarding allegations as they are required to do. The provider had displayed the CQC rating and report from the last inspection on their website and in the home.