Saltwood Care Centre

Updated 25 May 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.

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 one inspector and two Experts 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

Saltwood Care Centre 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. Saltwood Care Centre is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been appointed and they had started the process of registration 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. This included things the provider must tell us about, such as serious injuries and safeguarding concerns. 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 11 people who were living in the service and 12 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the manager, nurses, care staff and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six peoples’ care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed, such as policies, recruitment records, training data, audits, quality reports, safety checks and improvement plans.

Updated 25 May 2022

About the service

Saltwood Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 68 people. The service provided support to people living with a range of health and care needs, including brain injuries, diabetes and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 60 people using the service. The service was arranged across four levels with lift access.

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

People told us they felt safe and were happy living in Saltwood Care Centre. One person said, “All the staff are very attentive; I have a button so I can call anytime. I have no concerns at all.” Another person said, “The staff are lovely. There is no ‘must’ in this care home, it is all down to you and what you want to do.” Relatives agreed their loved ones were safe and happy. One relative said, “Personally, I could not fault their care. On the whole I am very pleased with the service.” Another relative told us their loved one was safe because, “There are always staff around and at night there is a safety mat by the bed; if there’s an issue they always ring me.”

Most of the time there were enough staff deployed to meet peoples’ needs. People received safe care and treatment from staff who knew them. Medicines and infection control were both managed safely, and lessons were learned when things went wrong.

People were involved in decisions about their care and they received care which promoted their dignity, encouraged independence and was person centred. One person told us, “I have photos on the wall that they take down to clean and they always put them back in the same place. These memories are important to me.” Most relatives said they were involved in their relative’s care plans and were kept up to date with changes.

Effective quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the service and regular audits were undertaken. Staff had received appropriate training and supervision. A new manager had been appointed since our last inspection and staff told us they found them approachable and supportive with an open-door policy.

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 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 5 February 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by our data insight that assesses potential risks at services, concerns in relation to aspects of care provision and previous ratings. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well led. This enabled us to look at the concerns raised and review the previous ratings. 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 remains good based on the findings of this inspection.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Saltwood Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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