Weald Heights

Updated 15 May 2021

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.

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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Weald Heights 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. 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.

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 received feedback from one commissioner who works with the service. 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 11 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, clinical lead, nurses, team leaders and care assistants.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including action plans and audits were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at meeting minutes and quality assurance records. We spoke with four relatives about their experience of the care provided to their loved ones.

Updated 15 May 2021

About the service

Weald Heights is a purpose built residential and respite care home providing personal and nursing care to 68 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 80 people across three floors each of which has separate facilities and are accessible via a passenger lift. The service has its own coffee shop, hair salon, cinema and library. One of the floors specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

People were safe and well cared for by safely recruited and trained staff who knew them well. All feedback from people, relatives and staff was positive and no concerns were found. We asked staff if they would be happy for their relative to live in the home and in response one staff member said, “I would definitely put a relative in this home, in fact, I have recommended it to people.”

All risks to people, including any from the environment were well managed and staff knew how to keep people safe. There were enough staff to ensure people’s safety and meet people’s needs. People received their medicines as prescribed. Immediate action was taken in response to any accidents and incidents and lessons were learnt to prevent reoccurrence. Staff had managed well during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service was well managed with strong quality assurance systems in place which ensured any improvements needed were identified and actioned. There was a positive person-centred culture in the home. All the people we spoke with told us they were happy living there and staff we spoke with told us they were happy working there. People, relatives and staff were engaged with the service and staff worked with health care professionals and their local communities to meet people’s needs and offer them a good quality of life.

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 13 September 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management culture in the home and quality of care. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

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.

The overall rating for the service has not changed. This is based on the findings at this inspection. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weald Heights 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.