Orchard House Care Centre

Updated 20 July 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

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Orchard House Care Centre 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. Orchard House Care Centre is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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.

Inspection activity started on 28 June 2022 and ended on 6 July 2022. We visited the service on 28 June 2022 and 1 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service, including the previous inspection report and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We also used information gathered as part of the monitoring activity that took place on 21 April 2022 to help and inform our judgements.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us 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 the area manager, registered manager and deputy manager for the service. We also spoke with seven staff members which included, one nurse, four care staff and ancillary staff. We observed care that was being provided and spoke with 10 people using the service. We received feedback from five relatives and one social care professional.

We reviewed a range of records, including nine people’s care records in detail, and 15 people’s medicines records. Three staff files were reviewed in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 20 July 2022

About the service

Orchard House Care Centre is a care home providing accommodation and nursing care for up to 60. People are supported across three separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities. One of the wings specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. There were 58 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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

People and relatives told us they felt safe and were happy with their care. They confirmed staff were kind and caring and we observed positive interactions between staff and people.

We received mixed feedback in relation to the staffing levels at the home. The registered manager agreed to review the current staffing levels to ensure sufficient numbers of staff are available to meet people's needs. Safe and effective recruitment practices were in place and followed.

People's care plans and risk assessments contained consistent and detailed information in relation to people’s needs and how these should be managed. People’s health needs and wellbeing was monitored in line with the information highlighted in their care plans and risk assessments.

People received their medicine as prescribed. Medicine administration care plans and ‘as required’ (PRN) plans provided staff with clear and detailed information on how people liked to receive their medicines and when these medicines should be given.

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.

Orchard House Care Centre was clean and well maintained. Environmental risks had been considered and acted on were required. Infection, prevention and control processes and up to date policies were in place. The provider, management and staff adhered to the latest government guidance in relation to infection, prevention and control.

The management team understood their regulatory responsibilities. There were effective governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement.

There was a person-centred culture within the service. People were actively involved in making decisions about their care and were asked for their views about all aspects of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (Report published 10 April 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We, therefore, undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

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.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Orchard House Care Centre 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.