The Queens Residential Care Home

Updated 5 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit took place on 6 December 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors, and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. Their area of expertise included older people's care.

Before the inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service. This included notifications the home had sent us. A notification is the means by which providers tell us important information that affects the running of the service and the care people receive.

We used the information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service, four visiting relatives and two visiting healthcare professionals. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, and four staff.

We reviewed four people's care files, medicine administration records, policies, risk assessments, consent to care and quality audits. We looked at three staff files, the recruitment process, complaints, supervisions and training records.

We walked around the building and observed interactions between staff and people who lived at the home.

Updated 5 January 2019

The inspection took place on 6 December 2018 and was unannounced.

The Queens Residential Care Home 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 is registered to accommodate 46 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. There were 38 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People living at the service were protected from avoidable harm as staff received training and understood how to recognise signs of abuse and the who to report this to if abuse was suspected.

Risks to people were identified and plans were put in place to help manage the risk and minimise them occurring.

People received their medicines safely. Staff competencies around administering medicines were regularly checked. Checks on medicines were undertaken, however there wasn't a clear record of the amount of medicine stock held for each person. The registered manager assured us they would implement this.

People told us, and we saw there were enough staff on duty to meet their needs. We found that safe recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

People were supported by a team of staff who were knowledgeable about people's likes, dislikes and preferences. People received care and support from a staff team that was provided with continual learning that enabled them to carry out their role effectively. Staff told us they felt supported and happy in their work.

The home was clean and tidy. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety was maintained. We noted that some areas of the environment needed attention such as paintwork on skirting boards and door frames. The registered manager gave us assurances that the redecoration of these areas would take place within six months.

Appropriate personal protective equipment and hand washing facilities were available. Staff had completed infection control training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us they enjoyed the food provided. Staff supported people to maintain their health and attend routine healthcare appointments.

People who used the service told us that staff were kind and caring. Care plans we reviewed, detailed people's needs and preferences and were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they contained up to date information.

People had access to a range of activities, and were provided with opportunities for social stimulation.

The service had a clear procedure for handling complaints.

Quality assurance processes were in place and regularly carried out to monitor and improve the quality of the service. Although accidents and incidents were thoroughly recorded the registered manager did not analyse these regularly or in detail to identify any trends and patterns. The registered manager agreed to implement more frequent evaluation of accidents and incidents at the service.

Feedback was sought from people who used the service through meetings and surveys.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.