The Wharf Care Centre

Updated 31 May 2022

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 team consisted of two inspectors and specialist advisor on nursing on the first day of the inspection. One inspector and a specialist adviser undertook the second day of the inspection.

Service and service type

The Wharf Care Centre 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. The Wharf Care Centre 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. However, a manger had been recently appointed and was in the process of applying to become registered with The Care Quality Commission.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people and four relatives. We spoke with 13 members of staff including the manager, senior care staff, care staff, domestic staff, an agency carer, a community liaison manager, an administrative staff member, two members of catering staff and a provider representative.

We reviewed a range of records. These included 10 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at records relating to the management of the service and the safety and quality of people’s care. This included minutes of meetings, clinical audits, accidents and incident records and complaints and compliments received. We also looked at records showing us how staff were recruited and trained.

In addition, we reviewed a range of policies and procedures, such as infection control, complaints and medication.

Updated 31 May 2022

About the service

The Wharf Care Centre is a care home providing accommodation, personal and nursing care and treatment of disease, disorder or injury to up to 67 people. The service provides support to older and younger people who may live with dementia, physical disability, sensory or mental health support needs. At the time of our inspection there were 49 people using the service.

The Wharf Care Centre accommodates people in one adapted building.

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

People’s risks had been assessed and staff were provided with the information they required to promote people’s safety. Staff understood what actions to take if they had any concerns for people’s well-being. Where staff had not been available to undertake their planned shifts the manager and provider’s representative had taken appropriate action to address this. Checks were undertaken on the suitability of staff before they commenced employment.

Staff were not allowed to administer people’s medicines until they were trained to do this. The manager and provider’s representative planned to introduce additional checks to ensure people received their medicines at the times they required them. Staff took action to reduce the likelihood of the spread of infections. Incidents, accidents and complaints were reviewed, and learning was taken from these.

People’s needs and preferences were assessed, and relatives were consulted as part of this process. Relatives gave us examples of how staff used their skills to support their family members to maintain their physical health and mental well-being. Systems were in place to support people to have the meals they required safely.

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’s told us they valued the relationships they had built with the staff caring for them and found staff to be kind and considerate. Staff gave us examples showing how they promoted people’s independence, dignity and involved them and their relatives in decisions about their care. The manager and provider’s representative planned to review window treatments to further enhance people’s privacy.

People’s risk assessments and care plans provided staff with the guidance they needed to provide personalised care to people and were regularly reviewed.

People were supported to do interesting things which they enjoyed. The manager and provider’s representative were in the process of recruiting new staff to increase the breadth of interesting things for people to access. Systems were in place to manage and take learning from complaints and concerns received. Relatives were complimentary about the care provided to people at the end of their lives.

Relatives and staff told us the culture at the home was open and focused on the needs of the people living at the home. The registered manager and provider undertook checks on the quality and safety of the care provided and planned to develop these further.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service was good, published on 25 November 2020.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety when eating and staffing levels at the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and effective sections of this full report.

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 The Wharf Care Centre 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.