Archived: Barleycroft Care Home

Updated 7 June 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type:

Barleycroft 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. The service provides accommodation to adults with learning disabilities. 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:

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 14 May 2019.

What we did before inspection:

We reviewed information we had received about the service from the provider since the last inspection, such as serious injuries. 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 with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During our inspection:

We spoke with six people who used the service, six relatives, six staff, the deputy manager, the registered provider, one visiting professional and one doctor. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not speak with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at eight staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision records. Multiple records relating to the management of the service and policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider, were reviewed during and after the inspection.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to corroborate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with one professional who regularly visit the service.

Updated 7 June 2019

About the service:

Barleycroft is a care home that provides accommodation, personal and nursing care to 70 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Barleycroft accommodates up to 80 people across three separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities. One of the wings specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service:

The provider had made improvements to the service after our last inspection.

People spoke positively about the care and support they received. They felt safe using the service. Staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and how to report any concerns to keep people safe.

Risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed and there was guidance in place to keep them safe.

The service had an efficient system to manage accidents and incidents and learn from them, so they were less likely to happen again.

There were systems in place for the monitoring and prevention of infection.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and staff recruitment processes were robust.

Staff received appropriate training, support and development which enabled them to meet people’s needs effectively.

People were supported to receive their medicines safely. They had access to health care services and professionals when they needed them.

There were assessments undertaken and care plans developed to identify people’s health and support needs. Systems were in place to ensure staff were up to date about people’s needs and were aware of people’s preferences.

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.

People had the privacy they needed and were treated with dignity and respect at all times. They were supported to be as independent as possible and to make choices with regard to their daily lives.

Staff were knowledgeable about people they supported. People commented that staff had good relationships with them.

There was a complaints procedure which provided information on the action to take if someone wished to make a complaint and what they should expect to happen next.

There were systems in place to manage, monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The provider always welcomed suggestions on how they could develop the service and make improvements.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated requires improvement (published 21 May 2018).

Previous breaches:

Following the last inspection, we found that the service was in breach of three regulations in relation to staffing, fit and proper persons employed and good governance. We asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider is no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

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