The Good Companions (Cumbria) Limited

Updated 4 March 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.

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 an 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

The Good Companions (Cumbria) Ltd 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. The Good Companions (Cumbria) Ltd 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and the local Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who lived at the home and 12 relatives. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) during a teatime meal. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with 9 staff including the registered manager, senior care and care staff, laundry and catering staff, activity and maintenance staff and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed 4 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment checks and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 4 March 2023

About the service

The Good Companions (Cumbria) Ltd is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 39 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom may have dementia-related needs. At the time of our inspection there were 31 people using the service.

The care home is a large, adapted building. The accommodation is over three floors. People living with a dementia-related condition were accommodated on a lower ground floor unit with access to a sheltered, secure courtyard and gardens.

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

People and relatives had many positive comments about the caring, welcoming and warm atmosphere in the home. People said staff were kind, friendly and helpful. Relatives said the Good Companions was homely and provided personalised care for each person.

People and relatives said it was a safe place to live and they felt supported and encouraged by staff to lead fulfilling lives. Risks to people were now assessed and managed in a safe way. The home was clean, bright and well-maintained.

People got appropriate support with their medicines, but records were not always completed correctly. We have made a recommendation about this.

There were enough staff to support people. New staff were appropriately vetted before they started to work at the home. People said staff were “always on hand” and relatives commented, “Staff respond to the call buttons quickly.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.

People and relatives described the provider and registered manager as open and amenable. Staff said they felt supported by the new registered manager and enjoyed working at the home.

The registered manager carried out checks of the quality and safety of the service and acted on any issues. The provider and registered manager were committed to improvements. Shortfalls from the last inspection had been addressed and a refurbishment programme was taking place.

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 on 25 January 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. 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.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 25 November 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and good governance.

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.

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.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Good Companions (Cumbria) Ltd 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.