Rookery Cottage

Updated 20 January 2023

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 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 who visited the service on the first day and an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to relatives on the second day. 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

Rookery Cottage 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. Rookery Cottage 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there were 2 registered managers in post. They were also the providers.

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 sought 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. 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 3 people who lived in the service and 12 relatives for feedback on their experience of care provided. We spoke with both registered managers. We spoke with and/or received email feedback from 11 members of staff which included senior care staff, care staff and the maintenance technician. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance audits, training records and safeguarding records were reviewed.

Updated 20 January 2023

Rookery Cottage is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 13 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people living in the service.

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

People were cared for safely. Risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly, and as people’s needs changed. Staff understood safeguarding procedures. Safe recruitment practices were followed to ensure staff were suitable for their roles.

There were consistently enough staff to meet people’s care needs. People were supported with their medicines and good infection control practices were followed. Accidents, incidents and falls were recorded and followed up appropriately. Lessons were learned when things went wrong.

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.

The providers had embedded an open and learning culture in their family run service. They were passionate about people experiencing a caring, home from home service and this was at the heart of the values of the service.

All of the feedback from people, relatives and staff was positive about the approachability, availability and responsiveness of the providers, and the friendliness and warmth of the staff team. Staff told us they were happy in their roles and felt valued as part of a strong and effective team.

The providers were committed to investing in the training and continuous learning of their experienced staff team for the benefit of people living in the service. Staff felt they had opportunities to progress in their roles and took on mentoring of others and specialist areas of care, as part of their ongoing development. A high number of staff were involved in studying for care qualifications, supported by the provider.

The providers worked in an open and transparent way and staff knew how to raise concerns should they have any. The providers had effective oversight of the running of the service. An electronic care planning system had recently been introduced and was embedded into practice. This helped staff have easy access to care records and gave the management team instant access to oversee people's care.

The views of people and relatives were regularly sought and used to drive continuous improvements of the service. Communication within the staff team was effective and staff felt their opinions mattered.

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 28 March 2019).

Why we inspected

We received some concerns in relation to the care people received. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We did not find any evidence to substantiate the concerns.

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

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 Rookery Cottage on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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