Background to this inspection
Updated
29 October 2019
The inspection
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.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
Stratford Bentley Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service is also registered to provide personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. However, there were no care packages in place at the time of our inspection, so we did not look at this aspect of the service.
The service had a manager who was applying to become registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider will be legally responsible for how the service is run and the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
The inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since our last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We also sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent organisation which collects people's views about health and social care services.
The provider had completed a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all the information to plan our inspection visit.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people and seven relatives. We spent time with people in communal areas, observing interactions and support they received from staff. We spoke with the manager, the deputy manager, two team leaders, two members of care staff, the chef, the activities co-ordinator and a director of the provider company. We also spoke with a visiting healthcare professional.
We reviewed a range of records. These included a review of three people’s care plans, five medication records, daily checks and food and drink records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the home and two recruitment files.
After the inspection
We spoke with a fire protection officer.
Updated
29 October 2019
About the service
Stratford Bentley is a nursing home which provides care to older people including some people who are living with dementia. Stratford Bentley is registered to provide care for up to 30 people. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people living at the home. Stratford Bentley is also registered to provide a personal care service to people living in five individual bungalows situated next to the home. At the time of our visit, no care provision was being provided to people living in the bungalows.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe at Stratford Bentley. Risks were assessed and managed and staff followed information in people's care plans to support people safely. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people and staffing levels enabled them to provide safe and effective care. People received their medicines as prescribed and staff understood the principles of infection control. When things went wrong, lessons were learned and shared with staff.
People's physical, mental and social care needs were assessed before they moved to the home. Staff told us they received training relevant to their role and felt they had the skills needed to meet people's assessed needs. People had access to healthcare professionals and were supported to eat and drink enough and maintain a balanced diet. 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 told us staff and managers were very caring and ensured everyone was accepted and treated as an individual. The atmosphere in the service was warm, friendly and welcoming to everyone. Staff treated people with dignity and we saw staff maintained people’s privacy when supporting them.
People had individual plans of care which included information about their preferences and preferred routines. Staff knew people well and supported them to communicate their choices and decisions. People were offered opportunities for meaningful occupation and there were items of interest to engage people throughout the home. People's end of life was managed carefully and thoughtfully.
A new management team demonstrated a good understanding of their managerial responsibilities to ensure people received, safe, effective care. People and their relatives gave positive feedback about the service and felt comfortable raising concerns knowing they would be dealt with. However, the provider had no system to formally check and audit that the policies and procedures for the management of the home were being adhered to. This meant some areas where improvements could be made had not always been identified in a timely way.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 27 April 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the rating of the last inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.