Bowood Court & Mews

Updated 28 March 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 3 inspectors 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

Bowood Court & Mews is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Bowood Court & Mews is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. However, they had resigned on the day of our first site visit. A new manager is now in post and is working towards applying for their registration.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with 15 people living at the home and 9 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with 16 members of staff including the nominated individual, relief manager, care manager, operations & compliance manager, kitchen staff, housekeeping, senior care staff and care assistants. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with one visiting professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 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 spoke with three care staff by telephone.

Updated 28 March 2024

About the service

Bowood Court & Mews is a residential care home providing care and support for up to 93 people. The service is split across 2 buildings on the same site, providing support to younger and older adults, some of whom may have a physical and/or sensory impairment. The larger of the buildings is referred to as Bowood Court and the smaller is Bowood Mews, which specialises in providing care to people with dementia. At the time of our inspection everyone had been supported to move into Bowood Court and the Mews was not in use. There were 59 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

Care plans were comprehensive, personalised and detailed people's current care needs and included how to safely manage any identified risks. The management of medicines was not always safe, however the provider took immediate action following the inspection to address our concerns. Medicines administration was safe, and staff were trained and had their competency checked. There was a safeguarding policy in place and staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. The home was very clean and followed appropriate infection control practices.

There was a training program in place for all staff. Feedback we received about food and drink was mixed. However, kitchen staff were aware of people's preferences and individual risks around food and drink. People were supported to access healthcare and the service facilitated appropriate and timely referrals to other agencies and professionals.

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. Staff we spoke with talked about people in a kind and compassionate manner and were passionate about providing good care. Care plans provided guidance on how to support people, in accordance with their preferences, choices and communication needs. Activities were in the process of improvement and enrichment, and we observed people enjoying the new activities.

Staff were recruited safely as relevant background checks had been completed. Management systems, such as audits and quality assurance, were robust and were now actively used to monitor and improve the service. During this inspection the registered manager resigned, and new manager was employed. People and relatives provided mixed feedback about Bowood Court & Mews. The provider and management team were eager to make the necessary improvements in the service and were working with the local authority as well as external agencies to ensure people received safe and effective care.

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 Requires Improvement (published 16 January 2023).

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

When we last inspected Bowood Court & Mews in October 2023, breaches of legal requirements were found. This inspection was undertaken to check whether they were now meeting the legal requirements.

The inspection was also prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service sustained a serious injury. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk and people’s safety. This inspection examined those risks.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last comprehensive inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘All inspection reports and timeline’ link for Bowood Court & Mews on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.