Castle Grange

Updated 23 March 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Castle Grange 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. Castle Grange is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and 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 there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 7 March 2023 and ended on 15 March 2023. We visited the service on 7 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 staff including the registered manager, operations manager and care staff. We spoke with 4 people and 2 relatives about their views of the care provided. We reviewed the care records for 3 people, numerous medicines records, 4 staff recruitment and supervision files, records related to governance systems and processes and other documentation relevant to the running of the service.

Updated 23 March 2023

About the service

Castle Grange is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 30 people. The home provides support to older adults and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 26 people using the service. The home accommodates people on 2 floors. There were three separate units, including Willow, Sycamore and Rowan.

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

Systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Medicines were managed safely, and competency assessments carried out to monitor staff performances. Risks to people were managed by staff following suitable risk assessments. The provider carried out the relevant assessments on the home to ensure people were safe to live there. We saw staff followed infection prevention and control guidance to minimise risks related to the spread of infection. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited safely. People were encouraged to visit the home and spend time with their loved ones.

Care plans were up to date and regularly reviewed to ensure people’s preferences and choices were being upheld. People were offered choices during mealtimes and enjoyed the food provided in the home. The home ensured people had access to health care professionals when required and any necessary referrals were being made.

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.

The registered manager and staff were open and honest, in dealing with concerns raised. There was a positive staff and management culture that people living in the home and relatives had commented on. Staff were keen to learn and drive improvement to ensure people received the best possible care. Effective governance systems were in place to ensure oversight and monitoring of the home.

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 requires improvement (published 11 June 2019).

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 7 March 2023.

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements. 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 changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Castle Grange 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.