Archived: White Gables

Updated 7 September 2019

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 team consisted of two inspectors and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

White Gables is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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. This means that they and the registered provider 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 home since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with people who live in the home and the staff team. We also used the information the registered provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information registered providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with five people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spent time observing the care people received to help us understand their experiences. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the registered manager, the area director, a registered nurse, a nursing assistant, four care workers, and activity co-ordinator, 2 catering staff and the maintenance person.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five 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 also 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 spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 7 September 2019

About the service

White Gables provides personal and nursing care for up to 55 older people, some of whom live with memory loss. The accommodation is a single storey building which is separated into three units. Cedar unit provides mainly residential care. Castle and Cathedral units provide nursing care to people with complex health needs. On the day of the inspection there were 50 people living in the home.

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

At the last inspection we found people’s care plans lacked detail and oral care was not always effective. In addition, we found staff did not fully understand the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and best interests decisions had not always been recorded. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in each of these areas.

People received good care from staff who knew them well and were trained to meet their needs and wishes. There were sufficient numbers of staff, who were safely recruited, to meet people’s needs. The registered manager responded to the views of relatives and was reviewing the deployment of staff at weekends.

People were protected against avoidable harm. Risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise identified risks.

People received their medicines as prescribed for them and systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.

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’s privacy and dignity was maintained and staff provided care in a kind and respectful way. People were encouraged to participate in meaningful activities and family and friends, where appropriate, were involved in planning their care.

The home was well managed and there was an open and inclusive culture. Quality assurance systems were effective in highlighting areas for improvement. The registered provider had action plans in place for the refurbishment of some parts of 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 overall (published 17 July 2018).

The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

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.