Moorfields Care Home

Updated 1 September 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 one inspector 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

Moorfields 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. Moorfields is a care home without 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. Inspection activity started on 25 July and ended on 22 August. We visited the service on the 25 and 27 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the health protection team and the local authority quality monitoring team who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with ten people who used the service and the relatives of one person, to seek their feedback about the service provided.

We spoke with six members of staff. This included the registered manager, care staff and kitchen staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included the care records for two people, two staff recruitment files, audits and monitoring systems and health and safety checks. We also looked at the management and administration of people’s prescribed medicines.

Updated 1 September 2022

Moorfields Care Home is situated in a residential area close to Bury town centre. The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 20 people, some of whom live with dementia. Accommodation is provided over two floors with access via a passenger lift. There are 16 single bedrooms and two shared rooms, which were being used for single occupancy. At the time of the inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

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

Prior to this inspection we received some concerns in relation to governance, the environment and meal arrangements.

During the inspection we found shortfalls with regards to the environment and health and safety. The provider had failed to address maintenance work required following the servicing of the premises and equipment. We also found the general environment was tired and needed enhancing. For example, carpets needed replacing, and the premises needed redecoration and replacement of worn furniture.

Governance systems had not been sufficiently robust to identify the areas of improvement required. The new registered manager was implementing audits and checks which were providing better oversight of the service, as well as identifying further improvements to enhance the experiences of people and staff.

From our observations, discussions with people and the cook we found sufficient food supplies were available and a choice of meals were offered. The cook clearly understood the need for good nutrition and hydration and was aware of people’s individual preferences. People were complimentary about the meals provided.

Opportunities for people, their relatives and staff to comment about the service provided had been improved. Feedback surveys had been distributed as well as staff and resident meetings. A newsletter had also been sent to people’s relatives, so they too were kept informed about events within the home. People were seen to enjoy a good rapport with staff who understood their individual needs.

Sufficient numbers of staff were provided. Recruitment checks for new staff and agency staff were not robust enough, however the registered manager agreed they would address this. Staff training and development had been reviewed. The registered manager was exploring opportunities to further enhance staff skills. Staff felt morale was improving and said the appointment of the registered manager had been a positive one.

Feedback from people and their visitors was very positive about the care and support provided. One family member felt an on-going concerns were now being addressed with good communication from the registered manager.

We found appropriate systems were in place with regards to consent and capacity. 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.

Suitable arrangements were in place to safely manage people’s prescribed medicines, infection control procedures and safeguarding.

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 January 2020).

Why we inspected

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.

We received concerns in relation to governance, the environment and meal arrangements. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

Enforcement

At this inspection we have identified breaches in relation to health and safety and the provider’s oversight of the service.

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.