About the service Highfield Hall is a residential care home which provides personal care and nursing care for up to 75 older people and people living with dementia. Nursing care is provided on the upper floor and there is a separate unit for people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided in single en-suite rooms. A passenger lift is available to provide access to both floors. At the time of the inspection 56 people were living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe living at the home, and most were happy with staffing levels. Staff had completed safeguarding training and knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. The registered manager recruited staff safely. People’s medicines were managed safely and effectively. Staff followed safe infection control procedures. Most people told us staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). However, some told us staff did not always wear their masks as they should, and the registered manager assured us she would address this with staff. The safety of the home environment was checked regularly.
Staff supported people in a way which reflected their needs and risks. Staff received the induction and training they needed to meet people’s needs. 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 received support with their dietary and healthcare needs and were referred for specialist support when they needed it. The environment was purpose built to enable people to remain as independent as possible. The provider had made some improvements to the home environment since taking over the service and further improvements were planned.
People and relatives told us staff were caring and respectful. People told us staff encouraged them to be independent and make decisions about their care when they were able to. Staff respected people's right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality. Care plans included information about people’s backgrounds and diversity, to ensure staff were aware of what was important to them.
Staff provided people with personalised care that reflected their needs and preferences. Staff knew the people they cared for and encouraged them to make choices when they could. Staff reviewed people's care needs regularly. Concerns and complaints were managed appropriately. People were happy with the range of activities and entertainment available at the home. People were asked about their end of life care wishes and we received positive feedback about the end of life care provided at the home.
The registered manager and staff were clear about their responsibilities. They had a focus on providing people with personalised, high quality care. The service worked in partnership with community agencies to ensure people received any specialist support they needed. People’s views about the service were sought and acted upon. People, relatives and staff felt the service was managed well. The registered manager and provider completed regular checks to ensure appropriate standards of quality and safety were maintained at the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for the service was good (published 31 August 2018). Since this rating was awarded, the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
We also completed a targeted infection prevention and control inspection of the service on 9 February 2021 (published 2 March 2021) and were assured that people were receiving safe care which protected them from the risk of cross infection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the service’s date of registration under the new provider.
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.