Gate House

Updated 17 April 2020

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.

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

Gate House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 four people living at the home. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager. We spoke with one professional who was visiting at the time of the inspection. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and four people's medicines records. We looked at three staff files and training and supervision records. We looked at a variety of other records relating to the management of the service, including health and safety records, audits, incident records and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies and procedures and other documents relating to the running of the service.

Updated 17 April 2020

About the service

Gate House is a care home for up to seven people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection, there were seven people using the service. The home is an adapted residential property with accommodation over two floors. There was a communal lounge, dining area, kitchen and garden.

People’s experience of using this service

People told us they liked living here and that they felt safe. They told us they were treated with kindness and respect. We saw staff interact with people in a very caring way.

We identified some issues with routine safety checks that caused potential risk to people. The registered manager said they would take immediate action to review and update their practice. We also had some concerns about people’s safety should they need to be evacuated in an emergency, however the home had previously identified these concerns and was addressing them.

People's medicines were safely managed and stored by staff who understood their responsibilities well. The home was clean and free of malodour. Good infection control practices were followed.

People were supported by well-trained staff who understood their needs and preferences. People were involved in their assessments and support planning and had regular one to one time with a designated keyworker.

People were enabled to have relationships with their friends and families and took part in community activities. People's independence and dignity was promoted. Their risk assessments and support plans were written in a positive, person-centred way.

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.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home and felt supported by management.

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 good (published 08 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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