Cumberland Grange Care Home

Updated 7 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

This inspection was unannounced on the first day. It was announced on the second day. On the third day, a medicines inspector visited and the fourth day we gave feedback to the management team on a Microsoft Teams call. An inspector, an assistant inspector and a medicines inspector visited the service.

An Expert by Experience visited the service and spoke with people living at the home. A second Expert by Experience called relatives to gather their feedback. 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

Cumberland Grange Care Home 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. Cumberland Grange Care Home 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 not a registered manager in post. There was an interim manager who started working at the home in July 2022 until the care home they had been appointed to manage was ready to open in another county. In November 2022, we were advised that a new manager had been appointed to run Cumberland Grange Care Home.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the home had been registered. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not comment directly on their care.

During the inspection, we spoke with 12 members of staff which included the interim manager and the regional director. 16 staff members completed questionnaires sent out by CQC. We spoke with 10 people who lived at the service and observed interactions between people and staff. During our site visit we spoke with two visitors and spoke with nine visitors on the phone. We also spoke with a visiting health professional.

We reviewed a range of records, including people’s care records, staff recruitment files, records relating to safety checks including fire safety, complaints records, accident and incident records. We also reviewed medicines records and records relating to monitoring and quality assurance.

Updated 7 December 2022

About the service

Cumberland Grange Care Home is a residential care home that provides personal care for up to 66 people aged 65 and over. There were 23 people living there at the time of the inspection.

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

Despite national staffing shortages, the management team had worked hard to ensure they recruited new staff. Newly recruited staff were positive about the supportive environment created by the management team and the good teamwork. A staff member said, “Cumberland is a family and I know each and every one of the staff really do care. They really care for the residents living here and it’s so lovely to feel that when walking into this home. I hope anyone else walking in has felt that same way.”

People received their medicines in the way prescribed for them; further training by the interim manager had improved the competency of staff in medicine practice.

Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive. People commented staff were busy, during the inspection we saw they were attentive and acted upon people’s requests. People said, “Yes, it’s a splendid new home” and “I’m well looked after, I’m safe, they are good to me.” Visitors said they were reassured by how their relative had settled at the home and would recommend the service to others.

Recruitment checks helped ensure staff were suitable to support people. People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent. Staff were positive about the training opportunities available to them.

The service provided safe care to people. People were relaxed with one another and the staff group. People commented on the importance of companionship and their friendships within the home. Activity staff tailored their approach to people’s individual needs, recognising people’s strengths and interests. The garden was popular as a meeting place for people and their guests; a café in the foyer provided food and drinks for these occasions.

Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people's freedom. People's equality, diversity and human rights were respected. People's rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes. Care plans were personalised to reflect people's personal preferences.

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’s views and suggestions were provided with the opportunity to feedback on their experience, which was taken into account to improve the service.

Visitors and people living at the home commented on the cleanliness and the well-maintained environment. Staff followed current hygiene practice to reduce the risk of infections. Health and safety checks of the premises and equipment were carried out at regular intervals.

Staff spoke positively about communication from the interim manager and deputy manager who were new in post. During the inspection, work was undertaken to ensure processes and information were more person centred and easy to access. A number of methods were used to assess the quality and safety of the service, including feedback from people living at the home who had made positive contributions to the experience of moving to Cumberland Grange.

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 23 July 2021 and this is their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up

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