Headingley Park Care Home

Updated 1 September 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Headingley Park is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Headingley park is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been appointed and was in post, they were in the process of completing an application to register.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided and obtained feedback from commissioners. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the regional manager, manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, support staff and the activity coordinator. 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 4 people’s care records, medication records and health related records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 1 September 2023

About the service:

Headingley Park is a care home. It can accommodate up to 40 people in a purpose-built building. It comprises of 2 units providing accommodation and personal care for older people, including people living with dementia. There were 33 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. Relatives said their family members were kept safe. Staff knew people well and risks were identified.

Staff told us there were enough staff on duty and staffing levels had much improved, which meant needs of people could be met. We observed there were sufficient staff employed to meet people’s needs. There was a safe recruitment process, which ensured only staff suitable to work with vulnerable adults were employed.

Accidents and incidents were effectively monitored, which ensured staff learned when things went wrong. People were protected by the prevention and control of infections. Medication systems were in place and followed by staff to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Some minor issues were identified in regard to medicines and IPC, these had already been picked up by the managers quality monitoring system and were being addressed.

Staff were very knowledgeable about people needs. We observed that care provided was person-centred and individualised. Staff received effective training to ensure their knowledge was up to date. Staff were supervised and supported.

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 had access to health care professionals, staff worked closely with professionals to ensure people's needs were met. We observed interactions between staff and people who used the service these were positive, inclusive, respectful and person-centred, promoting people’s well-being.

There was a quality monitoring system in place. The manager and the provider had identified areas of improvement. Audits were undertaken to ensure improvements were sustained and embedded into practice. Relatives felt listened to and said staff and management were approachable. People we spoke with told us their views were obtained to continually drive improvements. Feedback from staff was extremely positive about the new management team and felt communication had improved and the new manager was approachable, visible, listened and took appropriate action. Staff said they worked better as a team and were well supported.

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

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 22 February 2023) there were breaches of regulation and we issued a warning notice. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected:

This focused inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded previously to calculate the overall rating.

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.

Follow Up:

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