Archived: Hexham Carntyne Residential Care Home

Updated 8 March 2018

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 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.

This inspection took place on 22 and 25 January 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

We reviewed information we held about the service, including any statutory notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us within the required timescale. We contacted the local authority commissioners and safeguarding teams, the local Healthwatch, infection control leads for care homes, nutritional leads for care homes and the local fire authority. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used their information to plan the inspection.

Before the inspection, the 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 reviewed four people’s care plans and medicines records. We examined documentation in relation to the management of the service, including staff personnel records, training documents, and quality assurance systems.

We spoke with eight people who used the service and also three relatives and two visiting friends. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, two senior members of care staff, one care worker, the maintenance person, the cook and the head housekeeper. We also spoke with one occupational therapist and a patient transport driver.

We carried out an observation using the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We also undertook general observations of how staff interacted with people as they went about their work and viewed the property inside and out.

Updated 8 March 2018

Hexham Carntyne Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’ split over three floors for 19 older people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single packages under one contractual agreement. Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. This home does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection the service was fully occupied.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff knew about safeguarding procedures, had received training and knew what to do if they had any concerns. People and their relatives reported that staff maintained their safety.

Medicines were managed appropriately, with people being given the opportunity to self-medicate where they were able.

Risk assessments were in place and these were regularly reviewed and updated as changes occurred. Personal evacuation plans detailed what staff would do in particular emergencies and fire drills had been carried out. A fire risk assessment had just been carried out and the provider was in the process of addressing the actions required. Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored for trends occurring.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty. Effective recruitment and selection procedures continued to be in place. Staff were supported and had the skills and training required to adequately support the people in their care.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff were aware of the dietary needs of people and support was given when required. People enjoyed the food and refreshments available. Care was person centred, planned and regularly reviewed to ensure it continued to meet people’s needs. There were activities available for people to choose from should they have wished to participate.

Good working relationships had been developed with external health care professionals, including, GPs and nurses.

We were told the staff team were very caring. We observed warmth and kindness shown to people throughout our inspection. People’s dignity, privacy and respect were maintained by staff. Staff were discreet and remembered to speak quietly when asking people about supporting them with personal care when in the company of others. People were promoted to maintain their independence and encouraged to choose what they wanted to do. .

We saw a copy of the provider’s complaints policy and procedure and people knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. The provider had received many compliments about the care and support provided by the staff.

People, relatives and staff were asked their views and played a part in the operation of the service. People and their relatives told us that all of the staff and management were approachable. They also confirmed this included the ‘sisters’ who visited regularly.

The provider had systems and procedures in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. When issues or shortfalls were identified, corrective actions were taken. The registered manager ensured statutory notifications had been completed and sent to the CQC in accordance with legal requirements and displayed the latest report as required.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.