Rodwell House

Updated 24 May 2023

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 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 3 inspectors and 2 Experts 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

Rodwell House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Rodwell House is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Rodwell House is also a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own rooms under a tenancy agreement within Rodwell House. We are working closely with the provider to reduce the number of people holding tenancies.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. 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 received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injuries. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 9 people who lived in the service and 14 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We observed multiple interactions between people and staff throughout the day. 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 talk with us. We spoke with 14 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, compliance manager, nurses, care workers and support staff. We reviewed a range of records including 12 peoples’ care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed including health and safety checks, meeting notes, recruitment and training records and audits.

Updated 24 May 2023

About the service

Rodwell House is a care home providing accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 75 people. The service supports people with a range of nursing needs including people living with dementia. The service is arranged across 3 floors with lift access. People have access to shared lounges and dining rooms and accessible gardens and grounds. At the time of our inspection there were 44 people using the service.

Rodwell House also provides personal care for people living in their own homes, within the same accommodation. These people have a tenancy agreement and a separate agreement for their care provision. There were 34 people receiving personal care in their ‘own homes’. People receiving personal care can choose to have their care provided by another care provider. However, everyone living in Rodwell House had their care provided by staff employed by the service and we included these people within the inspection. We are working closely with the provider to reduce the number of people with tenancies to enable the whole service to be available for people who require accommodation with nursing or personal care.

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

Rodwell House had made a lot of improvements since our last inspection. Activities had increased, but there were still not enough activity coordinators to provide the range of activities and social engagement to meet everyone’s individual needs. People, relatives, and professionals all highlighted this as an area that still needed to be improved.

Improvements had also been made to the menu and food choices and menus were now on display. Changes were based on feedback from people and relatives. Despite the improvements, some people told us their meals were not hot when they received them. People’s care plans were person centred and detailed their preferences. However, some of these preferences were not always adhered to.

People told us they felt safe living in Rodwell House, and staff checked up on them regularly. Relatives told us staff put things in place to help keep their loved one safe, for example, mats beside the bed. There were enough staff deployed in the service and the staff knew the needs of the people they were supporting. Medicines were managed safely; accidents and incidents were monitored, and lessons were learned and shared if something went wrong.

People were assessed before they moved in to Rodwell House to ensure the staff had the necessary skills to meet their needs. Assessments were used to formulate the care plan. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed regularly. People and their relatives told us the service was kept very clean and tidy.

Since our last inspection the service had made improvements to make the environment more suitable for people living with dementia. Staff had received training and a new practice development team worked alongside care workers to champion best practice. People were supported to see a doctor or other health professional when needed.

People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. One relative said, “The staff are very nice and friendly, and they always take the time to say hello and chat.” People received care which promoted independence and relatives told us they were updated regularly. Another relative told us, “It is clean, it is welcoming, and staff always make themselves available, I am totally involved in all aspects of the care.”

Effective quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the service and regular audits were undertaken. A new registered manager had been appointed since our last inspection and staff told us they found them approachable and supportive with an open-door policy. People and relatives spoke highly of the new registered manager.

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.

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 10 August 2022) and there were 2 breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended the provider seek guidance in relation to the environment and activities for people living with dementia, and the provision of compassionate care. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on the recommendations and improvements had been made. The environment had been improved and care was provided in a compassionate way. Improvements had been made to activities and social engagement for people, but there was still room for more improvement in this area.

The service remains requires improvement overall based on the findings at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on 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.

Follow up

We will ask the provider to continue to send us an updated action plan regularly to understand what they will do and by when, to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.