Queens Court Care Home

Updated 24 October 2020

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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors, a specialist professional advisor 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. Our Expert by Experience had cared for relatives who had used this type of service.

Service and service type

Queen’s Court Nursing Home 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 22 September 2020 and ended on 01 October 2020. We visited the service location on 22 September 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with five people who used the service and ten relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medicines records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, care plans and quality assurance records.

Updated 24 October 2020

Queens Court Nursing Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 46 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 90 people.

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

We received wider provider concerns in relation to the management of medicines and people’s nursing care needs. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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.

At the previous inspection we found that people had bed rails in place without the appropriate documentation to determine their consent or safety and we made a recommendation about this. At this inspection risks assessments and consent documentation was in place for the people we looked at.

Medicines were administered by staff who had received training to do so and were managed safely. However, we have made a recommendation in relation to protocols for as and when required medicines. Information found on these protocols did not always give staff enough guidance.

People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service to ensure they could receive the care they required. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection and to learn lessons from accidents and incidents. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. There were enough staff to meet peoples needs

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.

Quality assurance and audit processes were in place at local and regional level. Appropriate safeguarding and whistle blowing policies and procedures were in place; staff knew how to raise concerns and were confident to do so if needed. Staff were positive about the support provided by the registered manager.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to wider provider concerns received about medicines and people’s nursing care needs. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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

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

Enforcement

Since the last inspection we recognised that the provider had failed to comply with a condition of their registration (s33 Health and Social Care Act 2008). This was a breach of regulation and we issued a fixed penalty notice. The provider accepted a fixed penalty and paid this in full.

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.