Riverdale Care Home

Updated 8 March 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

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Riverdale 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. Riverdale is a care home with 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 was a registered manager in post.

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 and sought feedback from the local authority. 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 spent time with people who lived in the service and we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, nurses and care staff. We received feedback from 3 healthcare professionals who had regular contact with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care and medicines records, 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 8 March 2023

About the service

Riverdale is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 40 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

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

The provider had implemented a number of improvements since our last inspection. There was a stable management team in place and more permanent staff had been recruited. People were supported by a consistent staff team who understood their needs and preferences.

The provider had reviewed and amended their processes for monitoring the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager had clear oversight over the service and was committed to continuously driving improvements in people’s care. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership of the service and the dedication of the registered manager. Staff felt valued and supported and were comfortable raising any concerns

Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and monitored and people’s care plans contained personalised risk assessments. Staff had been provided with specialised training, tailored to understanding how to support people who may be feeling distressed or upset, in a dignified and respectful way.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and robust safeguarding processes were in place. Incidents and accidents were recorded appropriately and analysed to ensure lessons were learnt. People received their medicines as prescribed and the provider ensured staff were trained and competent to administer medicines prior to supporting people.

People and relatives spoke positively about the care provided. 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.

Staff had built positive working relationships with other healthcare professionals in order to support people’s changing needs. The management team had created a positive and welcoming culture where people and relatives felt involved in the service and were regularly asked for their feedback in order to shape and improve the care provided.

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 07 June 2022) and there were breaches 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

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 27 April 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. We undertook this focused inspection to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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 Riverdale Care Home 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.