Augustus Court

Updated 21 December 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.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors, a medicines inspector 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

Augustus Court 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. Augustus Court 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 not a registered manager in post. A new manager started on the first day of the inspection.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 7 November 2023 and ended on 21 November 2023. We visited the service on 7 and 15 November 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the provider registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 spent time with people in the communal areas observing the care and support provided by staff. We spoke with 10 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 staff including the manager, area manager, care staff, including seniors, and the chef. We spoke with a visiting healthcare professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 10 people's care records and 10 people's medicine records. We looked at 2 staff recruitment files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed. We provided feedback to the registered manager and senior managers following both days when we visited on site and at the end of the inspection.

Updated 21 December 2023

About the service

Augustus Court is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 58 people. The service provides support to adults, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

Risks to people were not always identified, assessed or mitigated. Safe infection control practices were not always followed in relation to the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleanliness. Care plans were not always up-to-date and reflective of people's needs. Quality assurance processes had identified some but not all of the issues we found at inspection. However, the provider acted promptly in response to issues we raised and brought in additional senior staff to support the new manager and arranged further training, support and guidance for staff.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were provided with a variety of food and drinks. People were generally happy with the care they received and spoke positively about the staff who supported them. Staff knew people well and were kind and caring. Activities were provided and people were supported to keep in touch with family and friends. People had access to healthcare services.

The home was well decorated and comfortably furnished, although improvements were needed to make the environment more dementia friendly. The provider had a refurbishment plan in place to address these issues. Staff received the training and support they required to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate checks carried out.

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.

The manager started in post on the first day of our inspection. They were responsive and proactive in addressing issues we raised. Staff said they had already noticed an improvement in communication since the manager started.

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

Rating at last inspection

This provider was registered with us on 31 August 2021 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 6 September 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Augustus Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement [and Recommendations]

We have identified breaches in relation to regulations 12 and 17.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow Up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.