Archived: Offington Park Care Home

Updated 12 November 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 undertaken by two Inspectors.

Service and service type

Offington Park Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager that was not currently registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the manager and provider 24 hours' notice of the inspection to enable CQC and the manager to consider any infection prevention and control protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also established if people had COVID-19 or associated symptoms.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. Prior to the

site visit, we requested information about staff meetings and meetings with residents. We reviewed information we received through statutory notifications and enquiries. This is information we receive from the provider, social care professionals and the public about the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service, and six members of staff including the provider, manager, two care workers, the chef and a domestic assistant. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two care workers and two relatives. We contacted three professionals who have a working relationship with the service.

Updated 12 November 2021

About the service

Offington Park Care Home is situated in Offington, Worthing, West Sussex. It is a residential 'care home' for up to 24 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

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

People told us they were happy at the home and with the care they received from staff. One person said, “I am very happy here, this is my home and I like it. I find all the staff to be good, they are very good in my view. They look after me very well. I like to be independent and they support that.”

People told us they felt safe living at the home, and relatives said they felt their loved ones were safely cared for. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and mitigated by staff who knew them well. People were protected from the risk of abuse.

People were supported by enough, qualified staff who had received training specific to the needs of the people they cared for. Staff ensured that people were protected from infection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Training and guidance had been provided to enable staff to do this. One relative said, “The most important skill is being caring and patient and they all have that, that’s for sure.”

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.

People told us they were involved in their care and staff and management sought their views and opinions. The provider and manager continuously looked to improve the service to achieve better outcomes for people. People, staff and relatives spoke highly of the manager.

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 requires improvement (published 25 September 2020).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We completed a focused inspection to look at whether the provider had made improvements to the areas highlighted in their previous inspections. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. 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 Offington Park Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.