Simonsfield Residential Care Home

Updated 2 June 2021

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 the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 9 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 2 June 2021

About the service

Simonsfield is a residential care home providing personal care to 36 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The home is registered for up to 36 people. Accommodation is provided in single bedrooms.

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

Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe and enjoyed life in the home and had actively chosen to move there. They felt they had a sense of purpose and led active and fulfilling lives due to the environment, contact with the community and the support and approach of staff members.

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. People felt in complete control of their care and able to contribute to the running of the home. One person summed it up by saying, “I came for a look around, I chose to live here, the best thing I ever did".

Care and support was delivered on an individual basis and the occupants of the home decided their daily routines. Care, support and activities were planned around individual likes and dislikes. People were encouraged to participate in activities which were meaningful to them for example gardening, shopping and social activities. We witnessed that several activities happened at the same time offering further choice to the activity schedule.

Professionals spoke extremely highly of the home and how the staff were able to support people to have excellent outcomes and be supported until the end of their life extremely well in an individualised way. They commented on the lovely atmosphere in the home, with people laughing and relaxed in the company of staff.

Thorough recruitment and staff induction were in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work and provide support within the home. Staff had access to training. Champions had been identified to improve and build upon different areas of care by looking at best practice and how this could benefit people in the home.

People had access to food and snacks throughout the day, food was well presented, plentiful, varied and freshly prepared.

Healthcare records were kept to high standards and staff knowledge of individuals was extremely good. This enabled staff to recognise early changes in people and early access to primary healthcare services this ensured excellent continuity of care. Community nurses told us that they considered the care in the home to be effectively managed.

Relatives spoke of the caring staff and how they went above and beyond to ensure their relatives were happy and comfortable in the home. One relative summed up many people’s comments. They said, “The staff here are lovely, my priority is my mum’s safety and I believe she is safe here”. Any minor issues within the home were dealt with prior to becoming complaints, everyone felt that their views were respected, and they could offer feedback on the home which would be respected and acted upon.

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 July 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

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.