Background to this inspection
Updated
6 November 2021
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.
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 team consisted of two inspectors.
Service and service type
Sheerwater House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 in November 2019. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service about their experience of the care and support provided. We also observed care and interaction between people and staff. We spoke with three care staff, the registered manager, deputy manager, chef and the nominated individual. We reviewed a range of records including five care plans, daily notes and activity logs.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies, audits, complaints, meeting minutes, satisfaction surveys and incident and accidents records. We also received feedback from six relatives via telephone and email.
Updated
6 November 2021
About the service
Sheerwater House is a residential care home providing support to older people and people living with dementia. The service is registered to provide support to up to 20 people and there were 14 people living at the service at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Since the last inspection in November 2019 improvements had been made to the care received by people living with dementia. The registered manager and provider had taken steps to make the environment dementia friendly. Staff had been working in partnership with the mental health team to better understand how to support people during times of distress. However, further work was required to the provision of activities and ensuring that people have access to activities that are stimulating and engaging.
Person-centred care plans were in place which provided detailed guidance for staff on how the person wished to be supported. Systems were in place to involve people and staff in the running of the service. People were at the centre of decision making about their care. One person told us, “The staff here are ever so helpful, kind and friendly. They involve me in everything.”
Staff were caring in their approach to the people they supported and at this inspection we saw people were treated with respect and dignity. People and visitors to the service were consistent in their views that staff were kind, caring and supportive. One relative told us, “I cannot praise the service enough.”
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.
The registered manager and the staffing team knew their responsibilities and worked well with health and social care professionals. People, relatives and staff reported feeling confident in raising concerns with the management team. Relatives told us they were involved in people's care planning and were kept up to date with any changes. One relative told us, “I can’t thank the owner enough for what he does and how he keeps us updated with any changes or anything he thinks we need to know.”
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 Requires Improvement (published 9 January 2020).
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. This was in relation to dementia care and support and governance of the service. This focused inspection looked at the key questions of ‘Responsive’ and ‘Well-led’. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at 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 Sheerwater House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.