Background to this inspection
Updated
19 February 2022
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.
This inspection took place on 3 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.
Updated
19 February 2022
About the service:
Somerset House Nursing Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 35 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 44 older people, people with a physical disability or people living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found:
People received safe, person-centred care. The provider had continued to make and sustain improvements at the home. These improvements included the management of risks to people, medicines practices, care records and the effectiveness of quality assurance systems. People benefitted from a more consistent staff team, who were knowledgeable about their needs and individual risks. Staff received training and supervision.
The provider had a safeguarding policy and staff were aware of how to identify and report any signs of abuse. People received their medicines in line with their prescription. Further work was required to ensure the administration of people’s creams and topical medications was consistently recorded. The registered manager agreed to address this.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were offered choice and their decisions were respected. People were supported to access the GP and any specialist services they needed. The provider acted promptly to clarify aspects of health care needs in a small number of care plans. People’s nutrition and hydration needs were well monitored.
Staff were caring and treated people with respect. People’s privacy and dignity was upheld. Staff adapted their support according to people needs, in order to promote people's independence.
Care plans were in place and regularly reviewed. This provided staff with relevant information about how to support people in line with their needs and preferences. People were offered opportunities to take part in activities at the home and trips out.
There was a positive, person-centred culture and the management team demonstrated a commitment to continually improving the service. Meetings were held with people, relatives and staff to exchange information and gather feedback. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update:
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 26 March 2019) and there was one breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected:
This was a scheduled inspection based on the service’s 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.