Winton House

Updated 1 October 2022

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 two inspectors 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

Winton House 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. Winton House 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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 already held and had received about the service since the time of the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, safeguarding team and other professionals who work with the service. We checked information held by the fire service, Companies House, the Food Standards Agency and the Information Commissioner’s Office. We checked for any online reviews and relevant social media, and we looked at the content of the provider’s website. 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people and nine relatives. We observed people’s care and staff interaction with them. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, care coordinator administration manager, maintenance person, care workers and cleaners. We asked staff on shift to complete a survey and received eight responses. We reviewed a range of records. This included multiple people’s care records, a personnel file and medicines administration records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed. We wrote to the registered manager and nominated individual after the site visit and requested some information. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We received multiple additional documents and written explanations.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested and received quality assurance documents and premises and equipment records. We contacted the service to ask further questions for outstanding matters.

Updated 1 October 2022

About the service

Winton House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 36 people. The service provides support to older adults, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

Winton House accommodates people across two floors and each person has their own bedroom. People had ensuite toilets. Some people had ensuite showers. There are communal bathrooms, a dining room, various lounges, a hairdresser, activities area and large garden to the rear of the building.

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

Changes were made to improve the safety of care people received. Policies and procedures were replaced. People’s risk assessments and care plans were also replaced, updated and more individualised. Falls risks were better assessed, and incidents and accidents were analysed for learning to prevent recurrence. Sufficient staff were deployed to meet people’s needs. Recruitment files did not always contain all of the information required, however work was progressing on this. Incidents and accidents were logged, there was consistent recording and follow up. Infection prevention and control remained satisfactory. People were protected against abuse and neglect Premises risks were assessed, and mitigation of risks was satisfactory.

There were improvements to systems and processes in place to ensure safe, compassionate, well-led care. The service is compliant with regulations, however further improvement is required. The service’s action plans were being used to track progress. The service had liaised with people. Relatives, staff and the local authority to drive improvement. There is evidence of a programme of audits, completed at different intervals, however more time is required to review the system of audits and checks. There is evidence of meetings with people, relatives and staff. The oversight by the the management team is good and they are proactive at following up actions required. Staff reported an improved workplace culture. We made a recommendation about visits by the provider’s trustees.

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.

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 4 September 2021).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider improved policies and procedures for safeguarding and sought advice regarding safe recruitment of staff. At this inspection we found the provider had improved policies and procedures; work on ensuring fit and proper persons were employed was ongoing.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 8 June 2021 and 16 June 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. We issued two warning notices and the provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. This included safe care and treatment, sending notifications, openness and honesty and management systems.

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

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all inspection reports and timeline’ link for Winton House 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.