Chilton Care Centre

Updated 2 March 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 coronavirus 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 10 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 2 March 2021

This unannounced inspection took place on 15 and 23 November 2017.

We last inspected Chilton Care Centre in September 2015 and rated the service as good. There were no regulatory breaches found during the inspection.

Chilton Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. This home does not provide nursing care.

The care home can accommodate up to 40 people across two floors. The home was purpose built. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people using the service. Three people were in hospital. Some people using the service were living with dementia type conditions. The upper floor of the home was dedicated to people living with dementia.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

Arrangements were in place to ensure people were kept safe in the home. Regular health and safety checks were carried out including fire and water temperature checks. Personal evacuation plans were in place to assist emergency personnel in the event of the building needing to be evacuated.

Risk assessments were used by the provider to manage and monitor safe working practices. People had individual risk assessments in place with guidance to tell staff how to mitigate risks to people.

The service protected people from abuse by ensuring they were supported by staff who had undergone thorough vetting procedures. Staff were trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults and each person had plans in place to ensure they were protected from any potential abuse. The provider had a whistle-blowing policy which supported staff to raise any concerns about people who used the service.

People received their medicines in a safe manner from staff who were trained and assessed as competent to carry out these tasks.

Cleaning took place each day to reduce the risk of cross infection. We saw some areas of the home needed refurbishment. The provider had put in place arrangements to assess the environment of home and put in place actions to carry out the refurbishment. These actions such as replacing some carpets had already begun.

There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s care needs. Staff responded promptly to people’s requests for assistance.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Meals were served promptly as staff assisted people to the dining room. Kitchen staff were aware of people’s dietary requirements and individual food preferences. Food was in plentiful supply and appetising.

Staff were supported to carry out their duties. We found new staff were required to undergo an induction in order to familiarise themselves with the service and the people who used it. A training programme was in place for staff who were also given regular supervision and an annual appraisal.

Relatives told us the staff communicated with them and were complimentary about how the staff kept them informed about their family members. Staff utilised diaries and handover records to pass on key information to ensure staff were up to date with people’s care needs.

We received only positive comments about how staff treated people with dignity and respect and were kind and caring toward people. Staff used humour to engage people and we found there was a friendly atmosphere in the home.

Care plans to describe people’s care needs were person centred and told staff how to meet people’s needs. These were regularly reviewed and updated as required.

The provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place. We saw where people had made complaints these had been taken seriously by the manager, thoroughly investigated and a response had been provided to the complainant.

Choice was a key facet of the service. People were given choices by staff and their choices were respected.

A staff member had recently taken responsibility for activities in the home. A board on the wall told people what was going on each day. During our inspection people enjoyed a game of musical bingo with the staff and relatives providing support.

The registered manager was visible in the home, everyone knew who the manager was. People who used the service, their relatives and staff were complementary about the manager’s style and how they ran the home.

Systems were in place for the manager and the regional manager to monitor the quality of the service. Actions were put in place to make improvements where necessary and the completion of these actions were monitored.

Surveys carried out by the home showed people were largely satisfied with the service provision. The surveys contributed to the engagement of people in the service. Staff and relatives had also been engaged using meetings. Relatives had contributed to care planning for their family members.

Partnership working with local services and colleges was in place. The registered manager had recently joined a local health network to increase and promote enhanced partnerships.