Barrow Hall Care Centre

Updated 23 December 2022

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

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector 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.

Service and service type

Barrow Hall Care Centre 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. Barrow Hall Care Centre is a care home with 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 12 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, regional manager, care workers, domestic staff and the maintenance team.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records and medication administration records. We inspected 4 staff files in relation to their recruitment. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures, were also reviewed.

We inspected the environment and spent time observing interactions between people and staff, and infection prevention and control practices.

Updated 23 December 2022

About the service

Barrow Hall Care Centre is a care home registered to provide accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 37 people who have mental health conditions or misuse drugs or alcohol across 3 adapted areas within the grounds. At the time of our inspection, 30 people lived at the service.

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

A system was in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

People were happy with the care they received, they felt safe and well looked after.

People had support from staff who had been safely recruited. Staff received training in safeguarding and understood their role and responsibilities to protect people from abuse. People and staff spoke positively about the management of the service. Staff receive guidance and support from management regularly and when required.

People were supported to take their medicines safely as prescribed.

Staff followed care plans and risk assessments which were in place for known risk, up to date, and regularly reviewed.

People were regularly asked their views on the service provided and action had been taken when suggestions were made.

People were supported to have access to healthcare services to monitor and maintain their health and well-being. People were encouraged to maintain a healthy diet, where people had specific dietary requirements, these were catered for.

The provider and staff worked in partnership with other health and social care agencies to deliver good outcomes for people and to ensure their needs were met and reviewed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people 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 Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 September 2019) and there were breaches of regulation. 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.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 8 August 2019. 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.

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 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 Barrow Hall Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.