Archived: Springfields Care Home

Updated 24 December 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on the 26 and 27 November 2015 and was unannounced.

The inspection team included two inspectors, a specialist dementia nurse, a nurse specialising in the care of older people 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.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed previous inspection reports. We reviewed the notifications we had received from the registered manager. Notifications are specific events registered persons are legally required to tell us about. We also reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted a range of professionals before the inspection to request their feedback on the service. We contacted the GP surgeries who worked closely with the staff. We also contacted an optician, mental health nurse and the supplying pharmacist.

During the inspection we spoke with 20 people and 10 relatives. We reviewed the care of nine people in detail to ensure they were receiving their care as planned. We observed how staff interacted with people.

We spoke with 14 staff and the registered manager. The regional manager attended the inspection on both days. We reviewed four staff personnel files and the training for all staff.

We reviewed the records held by the registered manager and provider to ensure the quality of the service. We reviewed a range of audits, records of the maintenance of the building and environment, and feedback provided by people and relatives.

Updated 24 December 2015

The inspection took place on the 26 and 27 November 2015 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection on the 4 and 5 November 2014, we found issues with how the provider was ensuring the service had enough staff to meet people’s needs safely. This included planning and meeting people’s individual needs, ensuring people’s complaints were dealt with and keeping records that were accurate and complete. When we carried out this inspection this time we found all issues had been addressed.

Springfields Care Home provides nursing and residential services to up to 85 older people. There were 66 people living at the service when we visited. The service has four units providing care for people who may be living with dementia, have a mental health diagnosis or/and a physical disability.

A registered manager was employed to manage the service locally. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they were safe and happy living at Springfields Care Home and were looked after by staff who were kind and treated them with respect. Comments we received included: “I am happy here, I know everyone. I couldn’t be more pleased. This is a ‘Home from Home’ for me”, “They look after me pretty good here”, “This is a nice place. I couldn’t ask for a better place. It’s nice and clean with fresh air”; “Everyone is so nice. I am quite content with this place” and, “I love it here. The staff are so lovely and look after me so well”.

People felt in control of their care. People’s medicines were administered safely and they had their nutritional and health needs met. People could see other health professionals as required. People had risk assessments in place so they could live safely at the service. These were clearly linked to people’s care plans and staff training to ensure care met people’s individual needs. People’s care plans were written with them, were person centred and reflected how people wanted their care delivered. People’s end of life needs were planned with them. People were supported to end their life with dignity.

Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm and abuse. Staff were recruited safely and underwent training to ensure they were able to carry out their role effectively. Staff were trained to meet people’s specific needs. Staff promoted people’s rights to be involved in planning and consenting to their care. Where people were not able to consent to their care, staff followed the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This meant people’s human rights were upheld. Staff maintained safe infection control practices.

Activities were provided to keep people physically and mentally stimulated. People’s faith and cultural needs were met. The service was adapted to meet the needs of people so they could live as full a life as possible.

There were clear systems of governance and leadership in place. The provider and registered manager ensured there were systems in place to measure the quality of the service. People, relatives and staff were involved in giving feedback on the service. Everyone felt they were listened to and any contribution they made was taken seriously. Regular audits made sure aspects of the service were running well. Where issues were noted, action was taken to put this right.