Nynehead Court

Updated 25 March 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Nynehead Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

This service also provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care service.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information received from and about the service since the last inspection. Following the last inspection, we imposed conditions on the provider’s registration to ensure they carried out monthly audits and reported to the Care Quality Commission the outcomes and actions taken from the audits. We reviewed these reports before this inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with seven people who used the service and four visitors about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of care staff, the provider, registered manager and quality manager. We also spoke with two visiting professionals. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints and compliments and minutes of meetings were viewed.

Updated 25 March 2020

About the service

Nynehead Court is a residential care home which is registered to provide care to up to 44 people. The home specialises in the care of older people including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 37 people were living at the home.

The care home is a large listed building set in extensive grounds. The building has been adapted and extended. Accommodation for people is provided in the older building and in a modern extension. All bedrooms were being used for single occupancy at the time of the inspection, but some could be used by people wanting to share.

Nynehead Court is also registered to provide personal care to people living in houses, known as The Mews, in the grounds of the care home. At the time of the inspection one person was receiving personal care in their own home. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People received their care and support from a provider, and management team, who demonstrated a commitment to learning and improving the service offered to people. Since the last inspection there have been improvements to the quality assurance systems which have led to improvements in care and record keeping.

There were adequate numbers of staff to meet people’s physical needs and provide social and mental stimulation to people. People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. People looked comfortable and relaxed. Risk assessments were completed and followed to make sure people received their care safely.

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. People told us they were able to make choices about all aspects of their care and day to day lives.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. There was a stable staff team who people had built trusting relationships with. People told us all staff and managers were approachable and they felt able to discuss any concerns or worries with them.

People’s care needs were assessed and met. Each person had a care plan which gave staff details about how to support people in a way that respected their individuality. People were supported to be independent if they wished to be.

People were cared for by staff who had received the training required to enable them to provide effective care. Staff felt well supported and happy in their jobs. This helped to provide a cheerful and pleasant atmosphere for people.

The care home was an integral part of the local community and provided a venue for many social events. This helped people to continue to be active members of their community.

People had access to a range of social activities at the home and in the wider community. People were supported to follow their own hobbies and to learn new skills.

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 Requires Improvement (published 5 June 2019) and there were breaches of two regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

Following the last inspection, we imposed conditions on the provider’s registration to ensure they carried out monthly audits and reported to the Care Quality Commission the outcomes and actions taken from the audits

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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