• Care Home
  • Care home

Chaucer House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

82 St. Martins Hill, Littlebourne Road, Canterbury, CT1 1PS (01227) 671985

Provided and run by:
Avante Care and Support Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 25 February 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

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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

Chaucer House 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. Chaucer House 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 not a registered manager in post.

There was an acting manager in post, and the provider had recently recruited a manager who was due to start in the coming months.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 11th January 2023 and ended on 13th January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

To plan this inspection, we used information we had received, such as enquiries, complaints, notifications and whistleblowing. 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 10 people living at the service, 10 relatives and 6 members of staff. We also sought feedback from professionals including dieticians, chiropodists and the local authority.

We spent time observing staff carrying out tasks such as medication rounds. We also observed interactions between people and staff. 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.

We spoke to care assistants, senior carers, the chef, maintenance and housekeeping staff as well as management and representatives of the provider. Following initial conversations with management, we chose people living at the service to case track so we could get an understanding of people with different needs and their journey through the service. This involved looking at a variety of documents, including initial assessments when people came to live at Chaucer House, care plans, risk assessments, reviews, capacity assessments, referrals and guidance from professionals.

We also looked at staff recruitment information, including agency staff, training records, audits, action plans, incidents, accidents, complaints, compliments, staff meetings, surveys and their analysis.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 25 February 2023

About the service

Chaucer House is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to people with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, and dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.

Care Homes

Chaucer House is a large, purpose-built building close to Canterbury city centre. It accommodates up to 60 people across two different floors, each of which had separate adapted facilities. One of the floors specialises in providing care to people living with dementia, and the other for people with nursing needs.

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

People were supported by staff who knew how to keep them safe. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to support people. Checks were carried out to ensure the premises were safe and to minimise the spread of infection. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong.

People’s needs were assessed and delivered in line with best practice. People were seen by different healthcare professionals whose guidance was followed by staff, such as fortifying or changing the consistency of meals. Staff were well trained and supported by colleagues and management. The spacious environment was easily accessible and ‘dementia friendly.’

The relationship between people and staff was kind and compassionate. People were in control of how they wanted to be supported and people were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy, treated people with dignity. They worked with them to maintain relationships and meet their spiritual and cultural needs.

Staff knew people well and put measures in place to enable people to communicate in their own way. People were able to speak to staff if they had any worries or concerns and staff updated people’s families as and when needs changed. People were encouraged to pursue their interests and hobbies, and to try new activities. People’s end of life wishes were respected.

The provider was easily accessible to people and staff and had great oversight of Chaucer House. There were a series of checks carried out to make sure people were safe and supported. Management embraced a learning culture and had invested in a variety of innovative projects to improve outcomes for people.

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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 16 March 2020 and this is the first 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.

Follow up

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