Archived: Gretton Court

Updated 20 August 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector. The inspector visited on 22 June 2021.

Service and service type

Gretton Court is a 'care home.' People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the 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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided.

We spoke with the manager, the provider’s home support manager, two nurses, two care assistants, the housekeeper (who was also the infection prevention and control lead), the activities co-ordinator and the administrator.

We reviewed a range of records which included four people's care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

As family visits to the service had to be booked in advance and were restricted in number due to COVID-19 restrictions, we spoke to five relatives on the telephone after our visit.

We asked the manager and provider to send us information which we reviewed after the inspection. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at information relating to recruitment, fire drills and medicines. We spoke with the local infection prevention and control team.

Updated 20 August 2021

About the service

Gretton Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 36 people at the time of the inspection. Care is provided to older people, most of whom have nursing care needs and some of whom have dementia. The service can support up to 37 people.

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

People felt safe and secure living in the home. Relatives were happy with the service and had good relationships with staff members. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed effectively. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidelines. The premises were well maintained, clean and tidy. Improvements had been made to the large garden area and people enjoyed safe access to outdoor spaces.

We have made recommendations around recruitment and fire drill records.

Relatives said staff always kept them up to date and communication was excellent. Relatives said staff were welcoming, professional and friendly. Staff knew people’s individual needs well and how to support them if they became anxious or distressed.

The service did not have a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), so the rating for the well-led key question is limited to requires improvement. Since our inspection a new manager had been appointed and begun their employment but had yet to apply to CQC to be the registered manager.

Staff said they felt supported by the acting manager, but hoped a permanent manager would be appointed soon. The manager and staff team promoted a positive culture which achieved good outcomes for people.

Quality assurance processes were effective in identifying and generating improvements. A service improvement plan was in place which identified where improvements were needed and how these would be achieved.

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 (report published 1 June 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection programme.

This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remains good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Gretton Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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 until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.