The Heathers

Updated 7 June 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.

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

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Heathers 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. The Heathers 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.

What we did before the inspection

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 looked at notifications we received from the provider over the past 12 months and information about some concerns raised by people who contacted us. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We we spoke with 5 people and 4 relatives about their experience of the service. We spoke with the home manager, who was responsible for the day to day running of the service, management support and administrator, an external consultant who undertook regular audits of the home, and 2 care staff. We also spoke with members of the senior management team of the provider, including the nominated individual who is also the registered manager. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records including 4 care plans and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

Updated 7 June 2023

About the service

The Heathers is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 25 people with a range of care needs, including dementia, in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

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

Some aspects of the home required improvement. These related to the storage and disposal of medicines, and record keeping. The issues found, and written about in the Well Led section of the full report, did not have any direct impact on people or put them at risk of unsafe care.

People felt safe living at The Heathers. One person said, “I’m very well looked after, and the meals are very nice”. They were supported by staff who had received training and understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse or harm. People’s risks had been identified, assessed and were managed by staff according to information contained in care plans. In the main, medicines were managed safely. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to ensure people’s care and support needs were met in a timely manner.

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 were encouraged to be involved in the management of the home. Residents’ meetings enabled people to air their views and provide feedback, which was acted upon. One person told us they knew the home manager well and added, “I see her most days”.

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 (published 30 July 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management and care people received at the home. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we 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 discussed the concerns with the home manager and provider, and during the inspection found no evidence that people were at risk of harm.

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.

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