Background to this inspection
Updated
4 December 2020
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 coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.
This inspection took place on 20 November 2020 and was announced.
Updated
4 December 2020
About the service
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 were asked to consent to care. Staff had received training and were knowledgeable about the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe and they received their medicines on time. The provider had identified improvements that were required to some areas of medicines management such as topical creams.
Staff knew how to manage risks effectively and identify signs and symptoms of abuse and who to report concerns to. Accidents and incidents had been reported and medical attention sought where required. Some improvements were required to the system for monitoring people for injuries that occur after unwitnessed falls. The provider was aware of this shortfall and work was in progress to improve this area.
The registered manager had robust recruitment procedures and staffing levels delivered responsive support to people. The home was well maintained, clean and staff had access to protective equipment to protect people from the risk of infections.
Staff received training at the start and throughout their employment to ensure they had the skills to provide effective care. Staff felt very supported by the registered manager and management team.” People told us food and drinks were of a good quality and plentiful. We saw the provider worked with community health professionals to ensure people received effective care.
People told us staff treated them with dignity and were respectful. Our observations supported these views. One person told us, “The place is brilliant because they’re so good to me, not just carers, we’ve turned out to be friends and they’re all very kind to me.” We saw lots of positive interactions between people and staff, no one was rushed, and activities were person-centred. One person told us, “I’m quite content and happy, I love the girls to bits.”
Care plans contained personalised information on people’s health and communication needs plus their likes and dislikes. However, improvements were required to ensure all information was up to date and that staff demonstrated they followed people’s preferences. We noted preferences to personal care were not consistently followed. We have made a recommendation about this.
There was a complaints policy that supported positive engagement and timely action. The provider had systems for supporting people towards the end of their life. This needed to be consistent to ensure all people in the home were given the opportunity to share their end of life care wishes and preferences.
The service was well led. People, staff and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and management team. There was a positive culture throughout the service which focused on providing care that was individualised. The provider and the registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. They were aware of their regulatory responsibilities associated with their role and had sustained improvements and changes in the home.
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 25 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.