8 January 2020
During a routine inspection
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.