GHC Nursing Home

Updated 5 April 2022

Inspection team

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 included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 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 one 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

GHC Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and we looked at both during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. Registered managers and providers have legal responsibilities for how they run the service and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the care co-ordinators, the operations manager, team leader and care worker. The registered manager was not available on the day of inspection.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with nine relatives of people using the service and we also sought feedback from healthcare professionals who have worked with the service.

Updated 5 April 2022

About the service

GHC Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 40 people. The service provides support to people aged 65 and over, some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service. The home is split across two floors with a large garden to the rear.

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

We last inspected the service in August 2021 and at that time we had concerns people were not receiving their medicines safely. The provider had made improvements to staff training and information contained within care plans to ensure people received their medicines in a safe and timely manner.

At our last inspection there were ineffective systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of care being provided to people. We saw evidence of improved auditing which identified issues and actions that monitored progress and improvements, however further improvements were still needed to ensure they can be sustained. Staff told us they were listened to and felt valued by the management team.

People were treated with dignity and respect. People and relatives told us they were being actively included in decisions about their care.

People were protected from the risk of harm, there were comprehensive risk assessments in place, that had been reviewed regularly and updated inline with peoples changing 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.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 October 2021) and we found multiple breaches of the regulation. 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 now meeting this regulation, however further improvements were still needed to ensure they can be sustained.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection and to check if the provider had made improvements and if they were now meeting the legal requirements. We undertook this focused inspection to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 12 safe care and treatment and Regulation 17 Good governance of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions Safe and well-led.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has not changed following this inspection. However, the service is no longer in breach of the regulations.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for GHC Nursing Home on our 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. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.