Archived: Inwood House

Updated 8 June 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 19 May 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors, a specialist adviser with expertise in medicines management and dementia. The inspection team also included an expert-by-experience with an expertise in caring for an older person. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had received from the provider such as notifications and the provider had returned a Provider Information Return. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information was used to assist with the planning of our inspection and to inform our judgements about the service.We also contacted Healthwatch to see if they had received any information about the provider or if they had conducted a recent ‘enter and view’ visit. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We contacted the local authority commissioning and monitoring team and reviewed all the safeguarding information regarding the service.

We spoke with eleven people living at Inwood House and five relatives and visitors. We spoke with the registered provider, the registered manager, one senior care assistants, and two care assistants during our inspection.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who lived in the home. We observed the lunch time meal experience in all four communal dining areas and observed care interventions throughout the inspection process. We reviewed five care files and daily records for people living there and all the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisations. We also reviewed the maintenance and audit records for the home.

Updated 8 June 2016

The inspection took place on 19 May 2016 and was unannounced. The location had last been inspected on 29 May 2015 and was in breach of the Health and Social Care Act regulations at that time in respect of contemporaneous record keeping, the management of medicines, meeting nutritional and hydration needs, and around privacy and dignity issues. We received an action plan from the registered provider, who told us all actions would be completed by 19 August 2015 and we confirmed at this inspection that all actions had been completed.

Inwood House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 55 older people and people living with dementia. There were 54 people living there at the time of our inspection, 30 of whom were living with dementia.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We saw evidence that the people who lived there were supported to maintain their health and social care needs and referrals had been made appropriately to services such as chiropody, dietician, speech and language therapy services, GP, district nurses, and dental services. The home also had a good range of preventative equipment such as pressure mattresses, pressure cushions on loan from the local community equipment service plus profiling beds and moving and handling equipment which were well maintained and serviced regularly.

People who lived there and their relatives told us they felt safe at Inwood House. Staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of how to ensure people were safeguarded against abuse and they knew the procedure to follow to report any incidents

Staff were able to identify risks specific to the people who lived there and could tell us how they minimised risks to keep people safe. Risk assessments were in place and risks had been identified with plans to reduce risk and systems and processes ensured risks to people living there were minimised.

The service practised safe recruitment to ensure staff were recruited with the right experience and behaviours for their role. Staff received regular training to ensure they developed skills and knowledge to perform in their role. Staff had regular supervision and appraisals to support their development and were encouraged to obtain qualifications in care.

The registered manager had complied with their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). They had a good understanding of when a person might be deprived of their liberty.

The property had been extended and the new facilities were of a high standard to meet the needs of people living there. Signage and facilities for people living with dementia had been improved and there were activities for people to do along the corridors and reminiscence areas including a café area for people and their relatives to use.

We found all the staff to be caring in their approach to the people who lived there and treated people with dignity and respect. Staff knew the people they supported very well and were keen for people to feel they were at home at Inwood House.

Care files were person centred and evidenced people were involved in their care planning when appropriate. Families had also been consulted with to ensure preferences and views were considered when devising support plans.

The management team provided strong leadership and aimed to provide a high quality service.

The registered manager and registered provider were on site and proactive in the running of the home. Staff told us how supportive management were and told us they enjoyed their roles as carers.