Cranmer Court

Updated 11 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

This inspection was carried out by three inspectors, a nurse and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Cranmer Court 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. Cranmer Court 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 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. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also observed interactions between staff and a number of other people who used the service. We spoke with 13 members of staff including the regional manager, registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, wellbeing supervisor, head chef and nursing staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 11 May 2022

About the service

Cranmer Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 62 people. The service provides support to people aged 65 years and over, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people using the service.

The home is comprised of a ground floor, first floor and second floor. Each floor has a communal dining room and lounge, and there is an activities room and garden access on the ground floor.

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

People were supported with their medicines and encouraged to be eating and drinking enough for a balanced diet. People were kept safe from the risk of infection and improvement had been made to the general environment for people living with cognitive impairments.

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 were supported by kind and caring staff. Staff had been well trained and recruited following safe recruitment procedures. People were treated with respect and staff ensured they understood people correctly if they had any additional communication needs.

People were taking part in activities in line with their hobbies. People also were confident to raise any issues or concerns with staff and the registered manager.

Staff were supported by the registered manager and the registered manager had good oversight of the home. For example, regular quality audits were completed.

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 08 July 2020). A number of recommendations were made at our last inspection. We recommended that staff support people with their medicines in line with their communication needs; that the provider use agency staff whilst recruiting new permanent staff; that all mental capacity assessments were reviewed; that the environment of the home was improved to be more stimulating for people with cognitive impairment; to ensure quality audits were thorough and that complaints procedures were correctly followed. At this inspection we found the provider had acted upon all recommendations and made improvements to all areas previously highlighted.

Why we inspected

We inspected this location to follow up on previous recommendations and to review the previous rating. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicine errors. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.