Oval House

Updated 27 May 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 carried out by an inspector, a specialist advisor and an Expert by Experience. A specialist advisor is a person with professional expertise in care and/or nursing. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service

Braunstone Firlands Nursing 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 did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Registration with the CQC means 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

We gave the service a short notice period of the inspection. We telephoned and spoke with the manager and informed them of our inspection 15 minutes prior to entering the service. This was to help the service and us manage the risks associated with COVID-19.

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 clinical commissioning group who commission the service for people who use the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with four family members by telephone who had maintained regular contact with their relatives during the pandemic.

We spoke with seven staff: the manager, regional support manager, regional compliance manager, a nurse, three care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care plans and supporting documents and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and audits. We looked at records in relation to the maintenance of the service, and some policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provide to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records, including audits and minutes of meetings.

Updated 27 May 2021

About the service

Braunstone Firlands Nursing Home provides personal and nursing care for up to up to 24 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 20 people in residence. The service was purpose built and has communal rooms and bedrooms on both the ground and first floor.

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

Family members told us their relatives were safe at the service, which they attributed to the kind and caring approach of all staff. They told us staff had a good understanding of their relative’s needs and spoke of staff’s patience and support in caring for those living with dementia. Family members told us they were kept informed as to the health and welfare of their relatives, and some were involved in the reviewing of their relative’s care plan.

People’s needs were risk assessed and kept under review. Any changes in people’s needs were responded to, which included seeking the advice of external health care professionals. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in reporting concerns to safeguard people. Medication was managed safely.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and checks were carried out as part of staff recruitment. Staff undertook training in topics related to the promotion of people’s safety, health and welfare. Staff were knowledgeable about their role in reporting concerns, both internally and externally.

Family members told us they had received information about the service’s approach and management of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Family members had maintained contact with their relatives, including visits in line with government guidance.

The service had a ‘visiting pod’ which provided independent access for family members to visit their relatives. All visitors to the service were required to follow government guidance for visiting people in care homes. Staff were seen to be wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), which included gloves, aprons and masks. Both people and staff were routinely tested for COVID-19, consistent with government guidance.

Family members spoke positively of the manager, and spoke of their supportive, friendly and helpful approach. They told us their views about the service had been sought, however not everyone could remember receiving feedback following the consultation process.

The manager had an open-door policy and staff told us the manager was supportive. Systems to support staff and seek their views included meetings, supervision and the completing of surveys.

A robust system of quality monitoring was in place, which included managerial oversight of the service. The findings of monitoring visits and audits were collated into a report, which included action plans, which were kept under review.

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 6 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to people’s nursing and personal care. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

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

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 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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Braunstone Firlands 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.