Heathfield (Horsham) Limited

Updated 16 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 1 inspector

Service and service type

Heathfield (Horsham) 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. Heathfield (Horsham) is a care home without 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 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 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 6 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, general manager, assistant manager, senior care workers, care workers and 2 visiting health professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 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.

Updated 16 February 2023

About the service

Heathfield (Horsham) Limited is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 36 older people. At the time of the inspection 35 people were living at the service. Heathfield (Horsham) Limited accommodates people in 1 adapted building.

People had a range of care and support needs including diabetes, epilepsy and some people were living with dementia and the frailties of old age. Any nursing needs were provided by community nursing services.

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

Risks to people's safety had been assessed, and actions taken to mitigate them. People’s care plans detailed health needs and reflected the personalised care which was being delivered. One person told us, "They are keen for me to call staff if I need to go downstairs, so they can help because I can fall.”

People and their relatives were happy with the care they received and felt safe with the staff that were supporting them. Staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People received their medicines safely from staff trained to administer them. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.

The culture of the service was positive, and people, relatives and staff were complimentary of the management and provider. Comments included, “Staff are caring and know what they are talking about.” And, “Managers are approachable and there is good supervision and training. Big changes much better now.” Improvements had been made to systems and processes that monitored the quality of the service being delivered and accuracy of records. Staff knew people well and provided support in line with people's preferences. People's diverse needs were catered for and they were treated with dignity and respect. People and relatives described the staff as caring and thoughtful and said they were treated with care and kindness. Feedback about the service from people and those close to them was positive.

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 9 June 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 13 May 2021. Breaches of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last comprehensive inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Heathfield (Horsham) 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.