The Red House

Updated 13 May 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 team consisted of four inspectors, two who visited the home and two who gathered feedback from relatives and staff off site.

Service and service type

The Red House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, a manager had been appointed and was planning to register. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was to make us aware of risk management in relation to Covid-19, ensure the manager was available on the day and so we could request some documentation electronically to minimise our time spent on site.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and sought feedback from the local authority and the clinical commissioning group.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also observed the care and support people received during our time at the home. We spoke with nine members of staff including the manager, head of care, senior care worker, care workers, night care worker, maintenance person and the cook.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medical records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service. This included resident surveys, quality audits, service feedback questionnaires, staff and resident’s meetings and policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, policies and procedures and Covid-19 specific protocols.

Updated 13 May 2021

About the service

The Red House is a residential care home providing personal care to 18 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 23 people, including people living with dementia, in an adapted residential property which is split over two floors. The ground floor provides accommodation, a communal lounge and dining room and access to the garden and a further two bedrooms are located on the first floor.

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

People were supported safely and in a timely way because there was enough staff with the right mix of skills, knowledge and experience working at the home. Staff had enough time to read people’s care plans and understand any risks to their health and how to manage them. Relatives we spoke with told us they felt reassured that their loved ones were safe and well looked after. The home maintained regular communication about people’s health and wellbeing, safety procedures and updates regarding Covid-19 with their relatives and professionals.

Staff spoke positively about working at The Red House and felt well supported and confident reporting any concerns or incidents to the manager. The provider valued training and development which meant staff were encouraged to complete qualifications in health and social care and their training, development and competencies were monitored through spot checks and supervision. Systems for auditing and quality assurance meant that the quality and safety of care delivered was regularly monitored and reviewed to drive improvements and create a culture of continuous learning. Feedback from people, staff, relatives and professionals through questionnaires was used to help identify improvements and implement action plans.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 11 November 2017).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the provider’s visiting procedures, infection prevention and control and managing people’s health risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-Led only.

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 reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe and Well Led sections of this full report.

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.

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