Archived: Vale Court Care Home

Updated 22 January 2015

The inspection team was made up of an inspector, a specialist advisor 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.

We carried out the unannounced part of this inspection on 16 July 2014 when the lead inspector, specialist advisor and the expert-by-experience visited the home.  The inspector returned to the home on  22 July 2014 to complete the inspection.

Before our inspection the provider completed  a provider information return [PIR] which helped us to prepare for the inspection.  This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.  We contacted the local authority commissioning team and they provided us with information about their recent contact with the home.  They told us they had no current concerns about the home.

The registered  manager was on holiday during our visit so the inspection was undertaken with the deputy manager and for part of the day with the regional operations manager responsible for the home. 

During our inspection we spoke with 13 people who used the service, 12 relatives and friends and a visiting representative from Cheshire West council.  We spoke with the deputy manager, regional operations manager, the administrator and a total of 16 other staff members.

We looked around the home and grounds as well as checking records.  We looked at eight care plans for the people living in the home and used these to track the way that these plans were put into practice.  We looked at other documents including policies and procedures and audit materials.

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA] was moved from the key question 'Is the service safe?' to 'Is the service effective?'

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

Updated 22 January 2015

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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service. 

The inspection was unannounced.  The last inspection of Vale Court Care Home took place on the 16 July 2013 when it was found to be meeting all the regulatory requirements.  

A registered manager was in post.   A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Vale Court is a modern purpose-built two storey home situated in the Whitby area of Ellesmere Port close to the town centre.  The home provides care for older people and for younger adults with a physical disability over two floors and is registered to take up to 56 people.  On the first day of our visit there were 40 people living in the home.

The home manager was on holiday during our visit so the inspection was undertaken with the deputy manager and for part of the day with the regional operations manager responsible for the home.

This inspection took place over two days and during our visit we spent time in all areas of the home, including the lounge and the dining areas.  This enabled us to observe how people’s care and support was provided.  The relationships we saw were warm, respectful, dignified and with plenty of smiles and laughter.  Everyone in the service looked relaxed and comfortable with the staff.  People told us that staff members always treated them with dignity and respect.  Comments included; “Staff are good, could not get any better”, “Staff are wonderful”, “Staff are very good, I have a bit of banter” and “Very kind and respectful”.

Arrangements were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and the people living in the home.  All the people we spoke to told us that they felt safe at Vale Court Care Home. Comments included;  “Staff are good, could not get any better”. 

The care files we looked at contained the relevant information regarding background history to ensure the staff had the information they needed to respect the person's preferred wishes, likes and dislikes.  Records were kept under review so information reflected the current and changing needs of people. Information was stored securely ensuring confidentiality was maintained.

Staff members we spoke with said that the registered manager was very approachable, as was the deputy manager. Throughout the inspection, we observed staff interacting with each other in a professional manner.  Comments from staff members included; “The home is running well”, “Runs well, there is a good team” and “The home is very caring and people are well looked after”.