Fort Horsted Care Home Ltd

Updated 27 July 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector.

Service and service type

Fort Horsted Care Home 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. Fort Horsted Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We requested feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Healthwatch told us they had not visited the service or received any comments or concerns since the last 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people about their experience of the care provided. We observed staff interactions with people and observed care and support in communal areas. We spoke with eight members of staff including the nominated individual, the registered manager, a nurse, senior health care assistants, health care assistants and housekeeping staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and 14 people’s medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, staff supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including checks and audits were reviewed.

Updated 27 July 2022

About the service

Fort Horsted Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 30 people. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

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

People’s medicines were not always well managed. Some medicines administration charts had not been completed fully to evidence people had received their medicines as prescribed. One person’s emergency medicine was out of date.

Risks to people were not always well managed. One person was at risk of harm because staff had not followed the risk assessment in place to prevent them from injury. We reported this during the inspection and immediate action was taken to ensure the person was safe.

Most staff had been recruited safely to ensure they were suitable to work with people. One staff member did not have a full employment history recorded on their employment records. People had regular staff who they knew well. Staff were well supported by the management team.

The service was not always well-led. The management team carried out the appropriate checks to ensure that the quality of the service was continuously reviewed, improved and evolved to meet people’s changing needs. However, some of the checks had not been robust enough to identify areas of concern found at the inspection. The provider and registered manager took immediate action to address this.

The registered manager promoted an open culture. If people or their relatives wanted to complain they knew how to do so. People told us they were happy living at the service. Comments included, “I feel happy and I am comfortable at Fort Horsted”; “They are supporting me to get better and stronger” and “Staff are friendly enough. They met with me to talk about my care needs.”

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. 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.

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 good (published 18 April 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection as part of a random selection of services which have had a recent Direct Monitoring Approach (DMA) assessment where no further action was needed to seek assurance about this decision and to identify learning about the DMA process.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Fort Horsted Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to managing medicines safely at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

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