Archived: Netherfield Court

Updated 16 November 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 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.

The inspection was unannounced, which meant that the home’s management, staff and people using the service did not know the inspection was going to take place. The inspection visit was carried out over two days; 7 and 8 October 2015. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

During the inspection we spoke with five staff, the registered manager and seven people who were using the service at the time of the inspection. We also checked the personal records of five of the 12 people who were using the service at the time of the inspection. We checked records relating to the management of the home, team meeting minutes, training records, medication records and records of quality and monitoring audits carried out by the home’s management team and members of the provider’s senior management team.

We observed care taking place in the home, and observed staff undertaking various activities, including handling medication, supporting people to make decisions and engage in activities, and using specific pieces of equipment to support people’s mobility. We observed two mealtimes taking place in the home, and observed people preparing to exit the service.

Before the inspection, we reviewed records we hold about the provider and the location, including notifications that the provider had submitted to us, as required by law, to tell us about certain incidents within the home.

Updated 16 November 2015

The inspection was unannounced, and was carried out over two days; 7 and 8 October 2015. The home was previously inspected in September 2014, where no breaches of legal requirements were identified.

Netherfield Court is a 21 bedded rehabilitation service, providing rehabilitation support to older adults who have been discharged from hospital, with the aim of enabling them to recover sufficiently to return to independent living. It is a short stay service, with the average length of stay being 19 days. In addition to the provider’s own staff, various therapists and other professionals, employed by the local NHS trust, are based at the location. At the time of the inspection there were 12 people using the service.

Netherfield Court is located in the Eastwood suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is in its own grounds in a quiet, residential area, but close to the town centre and public transport links.

At the time of our inspection the service had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection people told us they were very happy with the service they received at Netherfield Court. One person said to us: “It’s fantastic, the staff are fantastic, the therapy and help are fantastic, the food is fantastic, what a place. It’s been such a help.” Staff we observed showed compassion and warmth in their interactions with people, and treated people with dignity and respect.

We found that staff received a good level of training, and further training was scheduled to take place in the coming months. Staff we observed had a good understanding of people’s needs, and it was clear that their training had assisted them in understanding how to support people in a safe manner which reflected best practice.

There were systems in place for monitoring the quality of service people received, including monthly audits carried out by the registered manager, senior staff and a member of the provider’s senior management team. People were also asked to complete a questionnaire when they had completed their stay at the service, and findings from this were used to plan future improvements in the service.

The provider had effective systems in place to ensure people’s safety. This included staff’s knowledge about safeguarding, and up to date risk assessments. Staff we spoke with understood what was required to care for people safely, and were knowledgeable about their role in this.

Staff and the management team had a good knowledge of consent and mental capacity, although we identified that improvements were required in relation to the way that on-going consent to care and treatment was obtained.