Archived: Cotman House

Updated 11 February 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 20 October 2014 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of two Inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. The Expert by Experience had experience of older people and people living with dementia.

Before our 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 the PIR and previous inspection reports to help us plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection. We also reviewed other information we held about the service including notifications they had made to us about important events. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.

We spoke with 12 people who were able to express their views about the service and four relatives. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspectors (SOFI). This is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people. We also observed interaction between staff and the people who used the service.

We spoke with a health professional the day after our inspection about their views of the service. They were complimentary about the care and support provided to people.

We looked at records in relation to eight people’s care. We spoke with 11 staff, including the deputy manager, the training manager, care staff, domestic staff and catering staff. We also spoke with the provider. The registered manager was on leave during our inspection, therefore we did not speak with them during this time. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, staff recruitment and training records, and systems for monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 11 February 2015

Cotman House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 41 older people who require 24 hour support and care. Some people are living with dementia.

There were 41 people living in the service when we inspected on 20 October 2014. This was an unannounced inspection.

A registered manager was 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 were provided with the information that they needed to safeguard the people who used the service from abuse. Staff understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to.

There were appropriate arrangements in place to ensure people’s medicines were obtained, stored and administered safely.

There were sufficient numbers of staff who were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service. Staff were available when people needed care and support.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.

Staff in the service were trained and knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. The MCA sets out what must be done to make sure that the human rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected, including when balancing autonomy and protection in relation to consent or refusal of care or treatment.

People, or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People’s care plans had been tailored to the individual and contained information about how they communicated and their ability to make decisions. The service was up to date with recent changes to the law regarding the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and at the time of the inspection they were working with the local authority to make sure people’s legal rights were protected.

People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

People’s nutritional needs were being assessed and met. Where issues were identified, for example, where a person was losing weight, appropriate referrals were made to other professionals. The service took action to ensure that people’s dietary needs were identified and met.

People knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy with the service they were provided with. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The service identified shortfalls in the service provision and took actions to address them. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.