The Mayfields Care Home

Updated 14 May 2020

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 first day of this inspection was completed by two inspectors and an assistant inspector and the second day by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Mayfields 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 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

The first day of this inspection was unannounced and the second was announced.

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, health care professionals and other stakeholders who had contact with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the provider's representative, regional operations manager, registered manager, unit manager, seven care and activities staff and the chef. We spoke with one visiting health care professional and observed medicines administration. We observed how staff supported people in the communal areas.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people's care records and multiple medicines administration records with their associated notes. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance processes, policies and procedures were 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.

Updated 14 May 2020

About the service

The Mayfields Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to people aged 65 and over, there were 53 people living at the service at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 60 people in a purpose-built building over two floors with various communal areas and gardens. The first floor specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

People living in the service told us they felt safe and well cared for. Staff were aware of how to safeguard people from potential abuse and there were suitable risk assessments in place. The provider had robust recruitment procedures in place, and sufficient staff on shift to meet people’s needs. People received their medicines when they should. The home was clean and infection control well managed.

Staff received the training they needed to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. People’s nutritional and health needs were consistently met with involvement from a variety of health and social care professionals. People told us they enjoyed their food and had enough to eat and drink. The home was well maintained and free from hazards. 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; however, the policies and recording systems in the service did not always support this practice.

All the people we spoke with were complimentary about the kindness of staff. We observed compassionate care which demonstrated staff had an understanding of people's needs and preferences. People's privacy and independence were promoted. People were included in planning their care and individual objectives.

Staff delivered care in a person-centred way based on people's preferences and wishes, which were clearly documented. There was a wide range of activities available and significant effort was made to engage people living with dementia. Support was available to ensure people remained in touch with their families and the wider community. The manager was responsive to any complaints or concerns although people told us they rarely needed to complain. We received positive feedback regarding end of life care provided.

The management team were approachable, responsive and supportive of staff and people living in the service. People and staff were regularly consulted on the standard of care and support provided and there was positive feedback on the atmosphere and culture in the home. However, some areas of governance required improvement, including management of audits and some assessment tools such as mental capacity assessments and advanced care planning. Incidents and accidents were appropriately managed and investigated but lesson learnt and audits of risks were not always sufficiently robust to optimise risk management. Whilst these were not found to have significantly impacted on people’s care, it increased the risk of poor practice. We have made a recommendation to review the risk monitoring systems and relevant assessment proformas.

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 20 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.