Forest View

Updated 2 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service. We also checked whether IPC actions taken by the provider following our last inspection had been implemented and sustained.

This inspection took place on 07 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 2 March 2022

About the service

Forest View is one of a group of homes owned by a national provider, Shaw Healthcare Limited. It is a residential 'care home' which can accommodate up to 60 people in one adapted building. Most people living at the home were living with dementia, and some people had disabilities associated with older age and frailty. At the time of the inspection there were 57 people living in the home.

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

Since our last inspection it was evident the managers of the service and the staff had made improvements which had raised the standard of care people received and the overall governance of the home. Some improvements were still required to ensure the provider was always working in accordance with government and best practice guidance to keep people safe and ensure people consistently received person centred care.

People did not always receive care in line with their assessed needs and preferences or had their communication needs fully considered. Staff did not always have detailed guidance to respond to people and ensure they were supported in the most effective way. Some information had been adapted to ensure people received information in a way they could understand, but work in this area remained ongoing.

People were protected from avoidable harm as risks to people’s health and safety were identified and assessed. People and their relatives told us they felt safe and were cared for by staff who knew them well. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. Accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns were reported and investigated as required and actions taken to prevent reoccurrence. People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff were aware of their safeguarding duties and how to report concerns.

People received a comprehensive assessment and felt involved in discussions about their care. This included planning for end of life care and support. People were encouraged to engage in activities that were of interest to them and develop meaningful relationships.

People and their relatives told us staffing levels had improved and there were enough staff with the appropriate skills and training to meet their needs. Staff were recruited safely and received supervision where opportunities to develop and feedback about their practice were discussed.

People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff interactions with people were warm and caring. One relative told us, “The staff are brilliant, very talkative, they keep me informed always have time to sit and talk and they are always happy. I couldn’t wish for nicer staff; they are like family.”

People were observed in a homely environment adapted for their needs and were supported to drink enough and maintain a balanced diet. 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.

People and their relatives were complimentary about the service and the management team. The service had a positive culture and embraced continuous learning and improving care. Quality assurance and monitoring systems had been revised and updated to improve managerial oversight of people’s care and keep people safe.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 17 February 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. After the last inspection the provider was served a warning notice and completed 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 had met the requirements of the warning notice. The provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

In August 2021 a call was held with the managers of the service using our Direct Monitoring Approach (DMA) to check whether the warning notice had been met. The leadership team provided assurances there were no emerging or ongoing risks that had not been identified or addressed by the provider. However, in order to gain further assurances that the provider was now compliant with the regulations, this inspection was carried out to corroborate evidence collated during the DMA call and action we told the provider to take at the last 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.

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 17 February 2020). The service remains rated Requires Improvement. This service has been rated Requires Improvement for the last four consecutive inspections.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Forest View on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.