Archived: The Manor House Barnard Castle

Updated 4 November 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was 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.

This inspection took place on 25 and 26 September and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector, a specialist advisor pharmacist, a specialist advisor nurse and two experts-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.

We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.

The registered provider completed a provider information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted the commissioners of the relevant local authorities, the local authority safeguarding team and other professionals who worked with the service to gain their views of the care provided by The Manor House Barnard Castle.

During the inspection we spoke with 16 people who used the service. We spoke with nine relatives of people using the service. We also spoke with two visiting external professionals. We looked at seven care plans, medicine administration records (MARs) and handover sheers. We spoke with 12 members of staff, including the registered manager, care and domestic staff. We looked at five staff files, which included recruitment records.

Updated 4 November 2017

This inspection took place on 25 and 26 September and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting.

The Manor House is a purpose built 76 bedded care home located in Barnard Castle, near to a range of local facilities. The home has two floors and is divided into three units. The first floor providing residential care, Chesters providing care for people who may be living with a dementia and Teesdale providing residential care. At the time of our inspection 69 people were using the service.

At the last inspection in December 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

At the last inspection we identified a breach of regulation in relation to medicines management. We took action by requiring the provider to send us a plan setting out how they would improve this. When we returned for our latest inspection we saw that improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of regulation.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us staff at the service kept them safe. Medicines were managed safely. Risks to people were assessed and action taken to mitigate the risks to people’s health, safety and welfare. Policies and procedures were in place to safeguard people from abuse. The manager and provider monitored staffing levels to ensure they were sufficient to support people safely. The provider’s recruitment processes minimised the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

People told us staff had the knowledge and skills needed to provide the support they wanted. Staff received the training they needed to support people effectively. Regular supervisions and appraisals were carried out to support staff in their roles. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet. People's care records showed details of appointments with, and visits by, health and social care professionals.

People and their relatives described staff as kind and caring and spoke positively about the support they received at the service. Staff supported people to maintain their independence. People and their relatives told us staff treated them with respect and protected their dignity. We saw numerous examples of staff delivering kind and caring support during our visit. Policies and procedures were in place to support people to access advocacy services and end of life care.

People received personalised care that was regularly reviewed. People were supported to access activities they enjoyed. Policies and procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

People described the service as well-led, and spoke positively about its culture and values. Staff said they were proud to work at the service and felt it provided excellent care and support. The manager and provider carried out a number of quality assurance checks and audits to monitor and improve standards at the service. Feedback was sought from people, their relatives and staff. People were encouraged and supported to maintain links with the wider community. The manager had informed CQC of significant events in a timely way by submitting the required notifications. This meant we could check that appropriate action had been taken.