Hawthorn House

Updated 24 June 2023

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 completed by 2 inspectors and an Expert 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

Hawthorn House 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. Hawthorn House 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 a registered manager in post.

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 and sought feedback from the local authority. 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 3 members of staff including care staff and the registered manager. We also spoke with 4 people who used the service, 5 relatives and observed staff interactions.

We looked around the home to review the facilities available for people and the infection prevention and control procedures in place. We also looked at a range of documentation including care files, daily records and medication administration records for 2 people. We looked at 2 staff recruitment files and reviewed documentation relating to the management and running of the service such as staff rotas, training and audits.

Updated 24 June 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Hawthorn House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 9 people. At the time of the inspection 7 people were using the service. The home is made up of 9 bedrooms with ensuite facilities, a communal lounge, dining and kitchen areas and a garden with a seating area and summer house.

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

The service demonstrated how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support: People were supported to live their lives in the way they wanted through accessing education, the local community and pursuing their hobbies and interests with support from dedicated staff.

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 home was clean and regularly maintained, though some fire door safety issues could have been completed quicker and work to address these was still ongoing.

Right Care: Staff kept people safe, as they understood how to protect people from harm and abuse.

People were protected by the provider's recruitment processes as appropriate checks were completed; ensuring staff were suitable to work with people who used the service.

People received their medicines safely and as prescribed and were supported to have regular reviews of their medicines. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were well managed by staff, though some records lacked detail.

Right Culture: The service was well-led and the registered manager promoted a positive culture and effective working relationships within the team and with relevant professionals. This ensured people received the right support.

Staff valued the support from the registered manager and the provider, which helped to maintain their wellbeing and positive attitude to supporting people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (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 we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 7 August 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 notifications of incidents.

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 and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

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 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 Hawthorn House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation regarding safety monitoring systems.

Follow up

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