Norwood House

Updated 26 February 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 4 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 26 February 2021

About the service

Norwood House is a care home providing personal care to nine older people at the time of the inspection, some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 20 people in one adapted building.

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

Effective systems were now in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People had been asked for their views on the service and improvements had been made following any suggestions they made.

Risks to people were well managed. Risk assessments contained sufficient information to enable staff to safely manage risks. Regular checks were completed to ensure equipment remained safe to use. Improvements had been made to the management of medicines and people felt safe living at the service.

Good infection prevention and control practices were in place, which had been adapted well to respond to the increased risks posed by COVID-19.

Staff ensured people were provided with a balanced diet. Any concerns in relation to people’s food and fluid intake were appropriately recorded and monitored. Relevant professionals had been contacted when this was required.

Improvements had been made to training provided to staff and records relating to staff support. Regular one to one supervisions, discussions and staff meetings had taken place. A training manager was now employed, and thorough training plans were in place.

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 Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 28 January 2020) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 13 November 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve their quality assurance and governance processes.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-Led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion 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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Norwood 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.