Bollingbroke House

Updated 14 December 2022

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors 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

Bollingbroke House 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. Bollingbroke House 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 a manager in post who had applied to register with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This 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 5 people who used the service and 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, care workers and ancillary staff. We reviewed a range of records including 3 people’s care plans and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We also reviewed a variety of management documents.

Updated 14 December 2022

Bollingbroke House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 30 people. The service provides support to older people, some people were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Systems in place to monitor the service were not always effective. Some audits had identified areas to improve and appropriate actions were taken. However, some issues identified during our inspection, had not previously been highlighted. Audits had not identified issues relating to infection control and inconsistencies recorded in people’s care plans. Issues related to menu choices and support around dementia care had also not been identified through audits and governance systems.

People felt safe living at the home and told us staff cared for them well. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding people from the risk of abuse and knew what actions to take if required. People received their medicines as prescribed, by staff trained to administer medicines. Risks associated with people’s care were managed safely. Maintenance and servicing of the building and equipment was done in a timely way.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and understood their needs. Staff were kind and considerate in their interactions with people. People received enough food and drink to maintain a healthy diet. Staff felt supported by the management team and received appropriate training to carry out their role.

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.

Care plans we viewed were informative but sometimes lacking in person-centred information such as likes and dislikes. Care tasks were not always being recorded and therefore did not always accurately reflect care provided. However, interactions we observed were positive; people were offered choices and staff respected their decisions.

The provider had a complaints procedure and people felt comfortable to raise concerns and were confident appropriate actions would be taken.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 10 June 2021, and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider at the previous premises was good, published on 3 May 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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, which will help inform when we next inspect.