The Heathers Nursing Home

Updated 8 February 2020

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.

Inspection team

Two inspectors, (one of whom specialised in medicines) one assistant inspector, and one Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. 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

The Heathers Nursing 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are 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 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, deputy manager, administrator, nurses, senior carer, care co-ordinator, and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records. We reviewed medicine administration records and associated records for 18 people and we spoke to three members of staff about medicines and observed part of the lunchtime medicine round.

We looked at four 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 reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with four health professionals who know the service well.

Updated 8 February 2020

The Heathers is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care for up to 45 people. At the time of inspection 37 people were living in the service.

The building was large with accommodation over a single floor. There was a large lounge and a number of other smaller lounges which could be used if people wished to have a quieter area to sit. Corridors were moderately wide which allowed for wheelchair use. There was a purpose-built dining area which could accommodate a maximum of eighteen people.

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

Risks such as falls, choking, malnutrition, and skin integrity were managed safely, although record keeping needed to improve.

People received their medicines as prescribed by staff who were competent. Some written information available to assist staff giving people their medicines needed updating and clarification.

Recruitment systems were in place, but some improvements were required to ensure systems were robust and staff were suitable for the role.

Staffing levels were regularly reviewed, and the deployment of staff was effective. Some people however told us that staffing levels could be improved at certain times of the day. A recent situation had impacted on staff response times, in addition to staff sickness, but we saw that the registered manager was addressing this.

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. However, some records held contradictory information in relation to decisions which had been made for people.

People's nutritional and healthcare needs were met. People and relatives praised the staff for being kind and caring. We saw staff treated people with respect. People enjoyed a range of activities. Systems were in place to manage complaints.

The home was clean, and some areas had been refurbished, though further work was needed to make the environment suitable for people living with dementia. We have made a recommendation about this.

People, relatives and staff felt the home was well run. The registered manager responded promptly to any issues we raised during the inspection. Governance systems were in place, but some audits needed to be more robust and detailed. The registered manager had already identified this as requiring improvement and was reviewing these.

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 (published 6 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.