Owlett Hall

Updated 20 April 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector 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

Owlett Hall 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. Owlett Hall is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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 had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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 used the service and 8 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the registered manager, supporting manager, regional managers and care assistants. We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records, 3 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 also reviewed.

Updated 20 April 2023

About the service

Owlett Hall is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up 56 people over 3 units. The service provides support to older people and people with dementia. At the time of our

inspection there were 46 people using the service.

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

Risks to people had been appropriately managed and these were regularly reviewed when the level of risk changed. Accident and incident records were completed and monitored to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. The provider had appropriate safeguarding systems in place. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

People's care records reflected choices and decisions they made around their care. Staff knew people’s needs well. Staff knew how to promote people’s independence. Relatives felt staff engaged well with their loved ones. People’s dignity and privacy was respected. People’s care was regularly reviewed.

People's communication needs had been assessed and information was included in care plans. Relatives were positive about the activities people were doing at the service. The service offered a varied choice of activities.

The provider had a clear complaints procedure in place. People and relatives said they could raise concerns with the unit manager or the registered manager. We observed positive interactions with staff and people during our inspection. Effective quality assurance processes had been implemented and as these were being completed, actions were identified and addressed in a timely manner. Relatives and staff spoke positively about the 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 16 November 2022) and there were breaches of regulations. 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.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.