Archived: Heath House

Updated 30 October 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Heath House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 who was 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.

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 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 three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the regional manager, registered manager, deputy manager, chef manager, housekeeping staff and a care worker. Following the inspection at the service we received written feedback from 15 relatives and family members and spoke to a further six members of staff including five care workers and a care team manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, three recruitment files, induction and training records. We reviewed medication records. We looked at a variety of other records relating to the overall management of the service, including compliments and complaints records, accidents and incidents, notifications and safeguarding records. We observed staff interacting with people in various parts of the home including engagement with activities, support at lunch time and general interactions when supporting people within their own living environment.

Updated 30 October 2019

About the service

Heath House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 62 people. At the time of our inspection 60 people were accommodated at the home.

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

People told us they felt safe living at the home, however relatives identified a number of concerns in relation to people’s safety to us during our inspection of the service. These concerns were being investigated by the registered manager.

We received mixed feedback in relation to peoples experience of the service.

Staffing levels were kept under regular review based on people’s dependency levels. At times staff were stretched but the management team were available to provide support if required.

People were supported to retain their independence and were encouraged to make decisions where possible. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

Risk assessments identified possible risks to people’s health and well-being. Measures were put in place to help reduce the risk as much as possible.

Medicines were safely managed. People received their medicines in accordance with the prescriber’s instructions.

Staff supported to develop in their roles and received regular training, individual supervisions, and attended team meetings. Staff felt supported by the newly registered manager.

People and their relatives told us that overall staff were kind and caring. Staff maintained people’s dignity and privacy. People had developed good relationships with staff who understood their individual preferences and care needs. Staff knew the people they supported well. People and their relatives were involved in discussions about their care.

People's personal information was kept secure to ensure it remained confidential. Complaints received were appropriately investigated in line with the providers complaints procedure. Any learning from concerns raised was used to make improvements and shared with staff. Comments and Compliments had been received and recorded.

There were regular visits from the providers senior management team to oversee the quality of the service provided. Internal audits were carried out to monitor the service and address any improvements required. The newly registered manager notified CQC of accidents and incidents.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 25 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.