Five Bells Residential Care Home

Updated 23 March 2019

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 7 and 8 August 2018 and was unannounced and the inspection team was made up of one inspector.

Before our inspection we gathered and reviewed information we held about the service such as notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about) and information that had been sent to us by other agencies including the local authority contracting and safeguarding teams.

During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, managing director, three team leaders, a senior carer, three members of care staff, the cook, the housekeeper and six people who lived at the service. We also spoke with visiting friends and one visiting healthcare professional.

In addition, we looked at several areas of the service to see what improvements had been made to the environment since our last inspection. These included shared areas, the medical room, individual bedrooms, flats and mews houses and communal toilets and bathrooms.

Before our inspection we requested a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider sent us the requested PIR.

We looked at a range of records related to the running of and the quality of the service. These included three staff recruitment and induction files, staff training information, meeting minutes and arrangements for managing complaints. We looked at the quality assurance audits that the registered manager had completed. We also looked at care plans and daily care records for seven people and medicine administration records for seven people who lived at the service.

Updated 23 March 2019

We undertook a comprehensive inspection on 7 and 8 August 2018. The inspection was unannounced.

Five Bells Residential Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 is registered to provide accommodation for up to 28 older people or people living with a dementia type illness or a physical disability. There were 23 people living in the service during our inspection. Two people were living in the service under a tenancy agreement and did not receive personal care from the provider. We have not referred to these people in our inspection report. Eleven people lived in the main house; an adapted three storey property and a further 12 people lived in adjacent apartments and mews houses.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are registered persons. Registered persons have the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection of Five Bells Residential Care Home in April 2017 we found a breach of the regulations and the service was rated 'Requires Improvement’. This was because the registered provider failed to ensure that people were kept safe from the risk of harm. At this inspection we found that some improvements had been made and the service was now rated ‘Good.'

Staffing levels had improved for some staff groups and staff had security checks prior to starting work to ensure that they were appropriate to care for people. Medicines were administered by competent staff. All areas of the service were clean and ongoing improvements were being made to the environment.

People received care and support from staff who understood their care needs. The delivery of care was coordinated and person-centred. People were provided with their choice of food and drink. Staff referred people in a timely manner to other healthcare professionals when their condition changed. Staff followed the guidance in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people were lawfully deprived of their liberty.

People were enabled to be involved in planning their care. Staff focused their care on the individual person. People were treated with kindness and compassion. However, some staff did not consider an individual person's dignity.

People received care that was responsive to their individual needs and preferences. Systems were in place to enable people to make a complaint if they wished to do so. Staff respected a person’s end of life care needs and wishes.

Quality monitoring systems were in place.

People spoke highly of the care they received and the attitude of staff. Staff enjoyed working at the service and were proud of their achievements

People who lived in the service and staff had a voice and were supported to give their feedback on the service. The registered manager was proactive and had made significant improvements to the standards of care in the service.