Background to this inspection
Updated
13 March 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.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one 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
Adamscourt 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 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 inspection
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. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with a district nurse who has experience of the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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 and included quality assurance records.
Updated
13 March 2021
About the service
Adamscourt is a residential care home providing personal care to 16 older people. The service can support up to 25 people. Accommodation is over three floors and people have access to communal lounge and dining areas, specialist bathrooms and level access to a secure garden.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by trained staff that understood the actions needed to ensure people were not at risk of avoidable harm, abuse or poor care practices. Staff recruitment included safety checks such as employment references and criminal record checks to ensure they were suitable to work with older people. Staffing levels met peoples care and social needs. People had their medicines administered by trained staff who regularly had their competencies checked. Policies and practices in infection prevention and control were in line with government guidance.
Quality assurance processes were robust, multi-layered and effective in ensuring areas for improvement were identified and acted upon in a timely way. Staff felt appreciated and supported which empowered them to be involved in sharing ideas about the development of the service. People, their families and staff had opportunities to be engaged and involved in Adamscourt through meetings, video and telephone calls, emails and newsletters. The registered manager understood their legal duty in reporting a range of incidents to CQC and other statutory agencies. Relationships with other professional bodies such as Skills for Care ensured the service kept up to date with new guidance and best practices.
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 21 November 2019). 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
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 21 October 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve
safe care and treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions ‘Safe’ and ‘Well-led’ which contain those requirements.
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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
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 has changed from requires improvement to 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 Adamscourt on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.