The Vineries

Updated 9 April 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 08 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 9 April 2021

The Vineries is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The Vineries accommodates up to 24 people, some of whom may be living with dementia, in one adapted building. At the time of our comprehensive unannounced inspection on 1 November 2018 there were 23 people living in the home.

The service also provides short stays for people who require a period of reablement. The purpose of reablement is to help people who have experienced deterioration in their health and have increased support needs to relearn the skills required to keep them safe and independent at home. Health and social care professionals visit the home and support therapy, nursing and social care needs of people admitted on a temporary basis.

There was 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.

We had previously inspected the service on 9 and 10 August 2017. We found that the provider was not meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The provider was in breach of four regulations including need for consent, safe care and treatment, good governance and staffing. The overall rating for the service was requires improvement. The provider sent us an action plan stating that they would take immediate action to comply with the regulations.

During this inspection on 1 November 2018, we found that sufficient improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of the regulations. However, we have made a recommendation under the key question of well led.

The service was well led and people were happy living in the home. Staff enjoyed their work and knew what was expected of them. People, their families and staff were involved in the service and there were regular meetings and opportunities to provide feedback for everyone involved with the service.

Improvements had been made in relation to the quality assurance systems which assessed and monitored the quality of service being delivered. A formal audit of a chosen area was carried out each month and recorded. The registered manager carried out more frequent checks relating to the quality of the service but these were not documented. We have recommended that the provider implements a system that allows for these checks to be recorded.

People were cared for in a way that promoted their independence and upheld their dignity and respect. Staff consistently treated people with compassion and respected people’s preferences and wishes about how they liked their care to be delivered.

People were involved in day to day decisions about their care and treatment and staff knew the importance and guidance around making a decision in a person’s best interest. Where people were deprived of their liberty, records relating to this had been completed in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Records about people’s care were person-centred and were developed with people and their relatives. These were reviewed and updated when people’s care needs changed.

There were consistently enough staff to support people in a safe way and people’s needs were responded to in a timely manner. Staff had time to spend talking with people and were able to engage people in activities that interested them.

People’s medicines were managed and administered in a safe way by staff who had received training in the safe management of medicines.

Staff worked collaboratively with other agencies to provide care that met people’s care and support needs.

Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and knew how they would report any concerns. There were safe recruitment practices in place to ensure that suitable staff of good character were employed to work in the service.

People’s individual risks and risks within the environment had been identified and plans were in place to manage and mitigate known risks. Accidents and incidents were recorded and steps were taken to monitor people after they had an accident.

The home was clean and staff observed infection prevention and control procedures.

Staff received training relevant to their role and most staff had completed the training they were required to attend by the provider.

People were supported to maintain a healthy nutritional intake. People were able to choose where they preferred to have their meal and were involved in the planning of the menu.

Where there were concerns about people’s physical health or wellbeing, prompt referrals were made to the relevant healthcare professionals.