Archived: Nether Hall

Updated 12 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

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors, an inspector manager and a nurse Specialist Advisor

Service and service type

Nether Hall 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.

There was a new manager in post who had applied to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they will be, as well as the provider, 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. We sought feedback from the local authority and the local Community Commissioning Group. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. 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 use the service and one relative. We spoke with eight members of staff, including the registered manager, nurses, care staff, activities person, cook, maintenance person and housekeeping. 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 reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment staff supervision and training. 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 manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and environmental records.

Updated 12 February 2020

About the service

Nether Hall is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 27 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 50 people.

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

Systems and processes were in place designed to protect people from abuse. People felt safe and had confidence in staff and the manager to keep them safe. There were enough staff to meet people's needs and staff were recruited in a safe way. People were supported to take their medicines safely. We did note there was some inconsistencies in how medicines were managed between the residential side and the nursing side. We have recommended the provider look at current guidance on managing medicines. The risks associated with people's care had been identified and plans put in place to minimise these.

People received support to eat and drink meals of their choosing. People were able to access the healthcare services they required and staff knew how to recognise when people's health had deteriorated. Staff had received training in people's needs. 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. We did note the environment was not particularly adapted to people living with dementia and we recommended the provider investigate current best practice for people living with dementia.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. People and staff had developed positive relationships. Staff knew people well and provided reassurance when this was required. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff respected people's privacy, dignity and independence.

Care and support were person centred and met people's needs. Staff understood and respected people's equality and diversity needs. People participated in activities of their choosing. People's communication needs had been assessed and staff had the information they needed to support people. People and relatives felt able to raise any concerns and could be assured these would be investigated. End of life care was provided by staff who had been trained and had the necessary skills.

The manager worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received coordinated care which met their needs. People and staff were able to feedback their views of the service. The manager was aware of their responsibilities for notifying the commission of specific events. The manager and provider completed regular audits and checks, which ensured appropriate levels of quality and safety were maintained at the home.

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 25 January 2019) and there were two breaches of regulation. 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 reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.