Clann House

Updated 30 March 2023

Inspection team

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 carried out by 2 inspectors 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

Clann House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and we looked at both during this inspection.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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.

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.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and 5 visiting relatives. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the registered manager, manager, senior head of care, care staff, domestic staff and cook. We also spoke with a visiting health and social care professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 2 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 spoke with another health and social care professional by telephone. We received positive feedback via email from 11 staff members and another health and social care professional about their experience of Clann House.

Updated 30 March 2023

About the service

Clann House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 34 predominantly older people. At the time of this inspection there were 29 people living in the service. Accommodation is spread over two floors. Clann House is an older style property on the outskirts of Lanivet village, which is near Bodmin.

The provider, Mr and Mrs L Difford, registered Clann House with the Commission in September 2022. The provider has 4 registered care homes in Cornwall. The provider transferred one of their experienced managers to become the registered manager of Clann house with support from an acting manager. An action plan was put in place to address the shortfalls found when they took responsibility of the service.

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

People, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals all spoke positively about the improvements made to the service. These had resulted in the standard of care for people improving, staff skill, knowledge and support increasing and relatives feeling more assured that their relatives were being cared for safely. Some comments from people and relatives included "[Family members name] told me, ’You don’t have to worry about me I'm very happy here.’ I know she's safe”, “I can sleep now as I don’t worry like I used to.”

Staff commented on their experience with the new providers as, “The manager works alongside us and it’s lovely to see. I feel the clients are all happier, the home is being redecorated and is clean. I would have no concerns raising a concern, I feel valued and listened to. I can say that I now love my job and am proud to say I work at Clann House.”

Health and social care professionals were complimentary about the changes in the service and the positive impact this had on people and staff. Comments included, "All I can say is what a difference not only in the look of the place but the staff are so much more upbeat, also the residents for that matter, since the new service provider has taken over, it’s almost like going into a completely different care home.”

The provider had invested in the environment. Comments from people, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals were positive about the changes. Comments included “The home is so much more fresh and looks so much better as we go on rooms are being done up and much better for the new residents arriving.”

The provider had implemented new systems and processes that had improved the standard and quality of the service. For example, an electronic application to record people’s care plans, their risk assessments and people’s daily notes in ‘real time’. Daily notes detailed what the person had done during the day and information about their physical and emotional well-being. People and relatives could also access this to see how care was being delivered. A relative told us “I’ve seen [relatives] care plan and can see it online. I have daily access to see what [relative name] has been doing. There's a continuing dialogue between us.”

There were enough staff to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Staff told us that they had received the training they needed to meet people's needs safely and effectively. Staff were supported in their roles through a plan of supervision. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and the senior team.

Peoples medicines were managed safely. Staff responsible had the necessary skills to administer medicines. Oversight was in place to ensure medicines were managed safely.

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

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. Systems to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the care provided were in place. They were effective in assessing quality and identifying and driving improvement. The service had clear and effective governance systems in place.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Last rating and update

This service was registered with us on 12 September 2022 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 30 May 2022.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.