The Tudors Care Home

Updated 3 August 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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

This inspection was undertaken by two inspectors.

Service and service type

The Tudors Care Home 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included notifications the provider must send to us about specific incidents. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service, no concerns were reported. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people, who used the service and a visiting relative about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with eight staff including the registered manager, senior care staff, care staff, the chef and housekeeping staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at staff supervision, training and planning records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with a further two people using the service to help validate the quality of their care and support. We also looked at quality assurance records, various meeting minutes and feedback from health professionals.

Updated 3 August 2021

About the service:

The Tudors Care Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 44 people in a two storey adapted building. It provides a service to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people using the service.

Peoples experience of using this service:

Staff went above and beyond what was expected to ensure people could write their own care plan, so care was truly individual. People lived rich, meaningful and fulfilling lives and were treated equally well.

Staff knew each person very well and they supported, and responded to, people's preferences in a very individual way. People's sense of achievement was promoted and one person who had been invited to be on local radio and they were delighted to tell their relatives about all that people did at The Tudors Care Home.

People’s independence and access to systems and technology greatly enhanced people's communication skills, including in their own language, using pictures, audio books or braille.

Complaints were used to help drive improvements and people benefited from changes that were made. Staff showed people true compassion and took account of the finer points of people's lives and cultures at a sensitive and important time of their life. One person who wrote their care plan had stated their end of life wishes to be at The Tudors Care Home, and to be peacefully alone.

The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities, were approachable, listened and acted. They had embedded and promoted an open and honest staff team culture to help ensure people and staff were listened to. The staff team promoted an embedded equality and diversity culture and treated people equally well.

Staff were supported in a positive way in a variety of ways including mentoring, shadowing experienced staff and learning from the management team.

Audits and governance systems were very effective in identifying and implementing improvements. People were fully involved in how the service was run and their voice was listened to and acted on. One person said, “What I like most is we always have a natter, [staff] really look after us. They are very respectful, even if they are at the end of their shift.”

The registered manager worked exceptionally well with others to provide people with joined up care and support. This transformed people's lives for the better.

People were helped to stay safe by staff who had training and skills in safeguarding. One person described to us how nice and careful staff were with their mobility support. Risks to people including medicines administration were identified and managed well.

There were systems and procedures in place that promoted infection prevention and control (IPC) practises. Lessons following incidents were learned and shared amongst the staff team.

People's assessed needs were effectively met by trained staff. People were supported to eat and drink healthily. Staff enabled people to access healthcare services including visits by health professionals. Reviews of people's care needs were undertaken regularly, and when their health needs changed. People chose what their home environment looked and felt like.

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. One person told us they could choose what to eat, ask for something else or staff would suggest various options.

Staff supported people to express their individuality, live the life they wanted to, and be treated equally well. Staff cared for people with kindness, sincerity and compassion. One person told us how ever so nice staff were. People decided how their care was provided and when. Staff upheld people's privacy and dignity whilst also promoting independence.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

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.

Why we inspected:

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about risks to people’s safety, staffing infection prevention and control, complaints and the management of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see all five relevant key questions sections of this full report.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published 1 June 2018). At our focused inspection in February 2021 we looked at infection prevention and control procedures only, but we did not provide a rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.