Background to this inspection
Updated
26 March 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
This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
Maristow Nursing Home 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. The registered manager was also the owner of this service. This means that they 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
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 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 seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff and the director/owner who was working at the service all day. We will refer to them as the director within the report. The registered manager was not available during our inspection.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four 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 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 contacted one professional for their feedback about the service.
Updated
26 March 2020
About the service
Maristow Nursing Home is a small care home in Salisbury. The service provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 16 people, some of whom have dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people living at the service. Rooms are on two floors and can be accessed by stairs or a lift. There were secure gardens to the rear of the property.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Safety checks regarding the environment had been carried out and the property was well maintained. The home was clean, and we saw staff follow good infection prevention and control practice. People had their own rooms which they had personalised.
Staff had been recruited following the necessary pre-employment checks and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were provided with training and the opportunity to have supervision which supported them in their roles.
Risks to people’s safety had been identified with detailed management plans in place to provide guidance to the staff. These had been reviewed regularly. Medicines were managed safely, and people had their medicines as prescribed.
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.
People had personalised care plans which gave details on the care they wanted and preferred. These had been reviewed by staff. There was information about life histories recorded, which helped staff to get to know people well. People told us staff were kind and caring. Everyone we spoke with talked about the homely atmosphere at the service which is what they liked about it.
People’s health needs were met with staff working with local healthcare professionals to provide effective care. Staff communicated with each other and worked well as a team.
People had enough food and drink. There were choices of meals available and the mealtime experience was relaxed. People chose where they wanted to eat and were provided with support from staff where appropriate. People’s views about the meals were sought so that improvements could be made.
People, relatives, staff and professionals told us the service was well managed. The management were visible and approachable and led by example. Quality monitoring was in place to help identify and monitor improvements. There had been no complaints since our last inspection.
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 8 March 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
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.