Background to this inspection
Updated
29 October 2020
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.
This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. 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.
This inspection took place on 7 October 2020 and was announced. 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.
Updated
29 October 2020
About the service
Belmont Grange is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 29 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We received extremely positive feedback from people, they told us they were exceptionally happy living at Belmont Grange. They told us they enjoyed being an important part of the local community and spoke extremely highly of the staff team and the level of care and support they received. Relatives spoke very highly of the home and were confident in the care and support their relatives were receiving and the improvements being made to their well-being.
People were continually supported to build new and maintain existing special personal relationships that mattered to them; with partners, peers, friends and relatives.
The registered manager and staff supported people at the home to make valuable connections with other voluntary groups to help tackle social isolation and to support each other. People were able to access a superb range of activities in the home and outside which promoted reminiscence, education and improved wellbeing.
People were supported to be ‘resident representatives’ to have their say and to exercise their rights. Access to an advocacy service was available if required. Support was provided in a way which put the people and their preferences first. Information was readily available for people in the correct format for them, including social media, online platforms and audio books.
People received person-centred support and staff knew people extremely well. The care plans in place covered all aspects of peoples care and support preferences, ensuring people received care which was a personal and individualised experience that had a positive impact on their lives.
People were supported emotionally and confidentially to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and leadership in the service ensured this practice was the norm.
Healthcare professionals highly recommended the home and spoke positively of the registered manager and staff team and were included in people’s care and support as and when needed. People were supported to by a ‘fluid buddy’ system to have enough to drink. People who need specialist diets were supported.
The environment was very clean and homely and maintained to a high standard with personalised bedrooms. Audits and monitoring systems were used effectively to manage the service and to make improvements as and when required.
There were enough staff to support people and staff were always visible. Staff received support and a variety of appropriate training to meet people’s needs.
Medicines were managed well, safely administered and recorded accurately. Individualised risk assessments were in place. Staff were confident they would raise concerns to safeguard people. Robust recruitment and selection procedures ensured suitable staff were employed.
There were excellent systems in place for communicating with staff, people and their relatives to ensure they were fully informed, this was via handovers, team meetings, phone calls and emails. People had exceptionally good links to the local community through regular access to local services.
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 (1 March 2017).
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.