Pine Trees Care Centre

Updated 11 May 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 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 carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Pine Trees Care Centre 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 registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are 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 notified the registered manager 24 hours before due to the inspection being undertaken outside normal working hours. We needed to be sure essential staff would be available and there was full access to records.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from relatives, the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the regional support manager, registered manager, care staff, cook and housekeeper.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 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. We received feedback from ten staff about their experience of working at the service.

Updated 11 May 2022

About the service

Pine Trees Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal care to 35 people, some of whom are living with dementia. People are primarily aged over 65 years. At the time of the inspection 34 people lived at the service. The home was all on one floor with a range of communal areas. These included a dining space, a lounge and a conservatory.

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

People, relatives and staff were all positive about the management team. Comments from people included “[Managers name] is approachable, he runs a good ship”. Relatives said “[Managers name] is great, he is approachable as is [deputy’s name] and they listen to us”. Staff said, “I have found [managers name] to be approachable and helpful at all times”.

People told us they were happy living at Pine Trees care centre and their care needs were met by caring and skilled staff. Comments included “It’s much better than other homes I’ve been in”, “The food is lovely, its clean, its spotless, my room is lovely, and nothing is too much trouble” and “The staff are always smiling”.

Relatives were complimentary about the care their family members received. Comments included “We are so happy that [person’s name] is here. I know [person] is safe here. When I leave, I’m not worried about [person]. She is in safe hands here. It is the best home” and “The staff are exemplary; they go above and beyond in all aspects of care for [person’s name].”

Safeguarding processes were in place to help safeguard people from abuse

People's care plans were clear and up to date. Risks associated with people's care had been assessed and guidance was in place for staff to follow.

People were supported by enough staff on duty who had been trained to do their jobs properly.

People received their medicines in a safe way.

There were processes in place to prevent and control infection at the service, through regular COVID-19 testing, additional cleaning and safe visiting precautions.

Staff told us that they had received the training they needed to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. The training matrix tracked staff training and this ensured all staff received the training and updates needed to provide safe consistent care.

Staff were supported in their roles through a plan of supervision. Staff told us they felt supported by senior staff and the manager.

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.

The management team maintained oversight of complaints, accidents and incidents and safeguarding concerns. The management team engaged well with health and social care professionals.

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 Good (published 16 October 2019)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to anonymous concerns we received about the management and leadership of the service.

As a result we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe, Effective and Well-led only.

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 not changed and remains Good based on the findings at this inspection.

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe, Effective and Well led sections of this full report.

Follow up

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