Archived: Blackwell Care Centre

Updated 19 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team: 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: Blackwell Care Centre is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority, clinical commissioning group (CCG) and other professionals who work with the service. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with six people and seven relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of care staff, three nurses, a member of the domestic team, the cook, the care coordinator, the registered manager and the provider who was also the owner of the home. During the inspection we spoke with two visiting professionals from health care.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care and medicine records. We also looked at four staff files around staff recruitment, various records in relation to training and supervision of staff, records relating to the management of the home and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Updated 19 January 2019

About the service: Blackwell Care Centre is a care home that provides personal care for up to 49 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 47 people lived at the service. Most people lived there permanently, and some people spent short periods there to provide respite for their main carers. The accommodation was established over two floors. On the ground floor there were bedrooms and an activities room, which could also be used as a café space. On the second floor there were bedrooms and several communal spaces. These included a large dining area, a conservatory and smaller lounge spaces.

People’s experience of using this service:

• There was a warm, welcoming and very friendly atmosphere. The provider was very person-centred and staff had an exceptional understanding of people's individual needs.

• Staff were extremely responsive towards people’s lives and care requirements.

• People and relatives told us they were fully involved in the creation and review of their care plans.

• Staff showed exceptional care and compassion when caring for people at the end of their lives. The service was totally committed to assisting people to pursue their interests which created a sense of belonging and purpose. A range of activities were on offer to ensure a variety of opportunities which reflected people’s wishes and interests.

• The registered manager was passionate about providing person centred care and this was reflected in every aspect of the service. People and relatives were empowered to help run and improve the service, in a survey to visitors the feedback was exceptionally positive. People’s views were considered and had been used to make changes to the menu, the environment and activities.

• Partnerships had been developed with the community and health and social care professionals.

• A range of regular checks had been completed to review the quality of the care and any areas were improvements were required. When identified improvements were implemented to continuously work in the interests of the people living at Blackwell Care Centre.

• People’s safety had been considered and risks had been reduced by the introduction of equipment or guidance. Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding and knew how to protect people from harm.

• Medicine was managed safely. The risk to any infection was reduced by the maintenance of high standards of hygiene. People enjoyed the food and their nutritional needs were met.

• People enjoyed living at the home and told us staff were kind and respectful of their choices. There were sufficient staff to meet their needs and staff were recruited in accordance with best practice.

• People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Health care had a focus to ensure people’s ongoing wellbeing.

• Information was provided in a range of formats to support understanding. People were able to access spiritual support to meet their religious beliefs.

• There was a registered manager at the home and the rating was displayed at the home and on their website. When required notifications had been completed to inform us of events and incidents, this helped us the monitor the action the provider had taken.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published December 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. At this inspection we found the service continued to be Good, and in some areas improved to Outstanding.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.