Archived: James Hince Court Residential Care Home for Older People

Updated 24 March 2017

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 31 January 2017 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of an inspection manager, one inspector and an Expert-by-Experience. This is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before our inspection, we reviewed notifications sent us by the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted local authority commissioners of adult social care services and Healthwatch and asked them for their views of the service provided.

We spoke with nine people who used the service, two relatives, four members of the care staff, the cook and the registered manager and visiting professional.

We looked at all or parts of the care records and other relevant records of 10 people who used the service, as well as a range of records relating to the running of the service such as audits, policies and procedures. We also reviewed three staff recruitment records.

Updated 24 March 2017

We carried out an unannounced inspection of the service on 31 January 2017. James Hince Court Residential Care Home for Older People is registered to accommodate up to 45 older people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of the inspection there were 30 people using the service. The majority of these people were staying at the home for short periods of time on respite or were receiving rehabilitation support for physical conditions. A small number of people were living at the home for full time.

On the day of our inspection there was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff could identify the potential signs of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to. Risks to people’s safety were continually assessed and reviewed although a small number of these required updating. There were enough staff to keep people safe and to meet their needs. People’s medicines were managed safely, although the way people liked to take their medicines was not recorded. Protocols for the safe administration of ‘as needed’ medicines were in place for most but not all of these medicines.

People were supported by staff who completed an induction prior to commencing their role. They had the skills and training needed and their performance was regularly reviewed to enable them to support people effectively.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, had been followed when decisions were made about people’s care. People were supported to maintain good health in relation to their food and drink and the majority of people liked the choices that were available for them. People’s day to day health needs were met by staff and referrals to relevant health services were made where needed.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate and responded quickly to people when they showed signs of distress or had become upset. Staff understood people’s needs and listened to and acted upon their views. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained. People felt staff treated them with respect. People were involved with decisions made about their care and were encouraged to lead as independent a life as possible. This included extensive physiotherapy sessions to improve independence for people who were planning to return home. People were provided with information about how they could access independent advocates. People’s friends and relatives were able to visit whenever they wanted to.

There were limited opportunities for people to take part in the activities that were important to them. People living at the home had detailed person centred care plans in place that recorded their preferences and likes and dislikes. For people on shorter term stays this information was limited. People’s care records were reviewed, but some had not been updated as regularly as others. People were provided with the information they needed if they wished to make a complaint and they felt their complaint would be acted on.

The registered manager led the service well and was respected and well-liked by all the people we spoke with. People were encouraged to provide feedback about the quality of the service and this information was used to make improvements. The continued development of staff and the registered manager’s performance was a key aim of the provider. Quality assurance processes were in place to ensure people and others were safe in the home.