Cowbridge residential care home

Updated 17 February 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

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Cowbridge Residential Care Home 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. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided. 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 the registered manager had recently left. Another manager was due to take over the role and apply for registration with the commission.

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, such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. This information helps support our inspections. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who lived in the home and 1 relative about their experience of care and support. We spent time observing staff interacting with people. We spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with 7 staff including the administrator, senior carer, 3 care staff, housekeeper and cook. We also spoke with a professional who works with the service.

We looked at a range of records. This included 3 people’s care plans, 3 medication records and 2 staff files. We also looked at audits, policies and safeguarding records.

Updated 17 February 2023

About the service

Cowbridge Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 30 people. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

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

People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. People told us that they felt safe in the home and risks in relation to people's care were identified and managed to keep them safe. A relative told us, “I visit most days and always leave confident [person’s name] is safe”.

Staff had been recruited safely and during the inspection we observed there were enough staff to respond to people's 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. Staff did tell us that staffing levels could fluctuate but that they always felt they were safe.

People’s medicines were administered and managed safely. We looked at infection prevention and control and were assured the provider was protecting people, staff and visitors from the risk of infection.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to ensure trends and patterns were identified and action taken to reduce risks occurring. The registered manager took appropriate actions to improve the service.

The environment was spacious and there was equipment available to support staff in providing safe care and support. Health and safety checks of the environment and equipment were in place. There were certificates in place to evidence this. Systems were in place to support people in the event of an emergency.

The systems in place to monitor the quality of care within the service were effective. The registered manager promoted a positive person-centred culture and fully understood their responsibilities as a registered manager

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 good (published 19 December 2017)

Why we inspected

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

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Cowbridge Residential Care Home 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.