Wellcroft

Updated 10 January 2020

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector and one 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

Wellcroft 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission across two of the provider locations. 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. A new home manager for wellcroft has recently started at the home and was in the process of registering with the CQC.

Notice of inspection

The first day of the inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 15 members of staff including the manager, deputy manager, care workers, auxiliary staff and other members of the management team including representative from the catering and learning and development department. We spoke with two visiting health care professionals. 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 talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 10 January 2020

About the service

Wellcroft is a residential care home providing personal care to 42 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 42 people. Care is provided across two floors, with each floor having their own communal lounge and dining areas.

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

People generally felt safe and there were systems in place to minimise risk which included individual and generic risk assessments. Checks of the environment and equipment were undertaken and regular servicing and maintenance of equipment and utilities was completed. There were safe systems in place to recruit staff although not everyone felt that there were sufficient staff. Medicines were safely stored and the home put systems to ensure appropriate guidance was in place for people with ‘as required’ medication such as pain medicine.

People were supported to have an appropriate diet and had their care needs met and received support from healthcare services a required. The environment was homely and adapted to encourage people to be independent. 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.

Staff were generally kind and caring, although we noted there were times when they were task focused. We saw positive interaction between people and staff and staff knew people and understood their care needs. Independence was promoted, and care plans were developed to reflect how staff could do this. People's specific needs were being met and staff had a good understanding on equality and diversity and how to meet these.

A new electronic system of care records had been introduced and work was ongoing to make care plans more detailed and person centred. There were a range of activities for people to engage with. People felt able to raise concerns and complaints were investigated and responded to. The home worked closely with other healthcare professionals to provide end of life care. Staff had completed training in this area and understood how to support people and their families at the end of life.

People, relatives and staff were positive about the new manager and felt that things had begun to change for the better. There were a range of ways for people to engage with service improvement which included surveys and meetings. There were opportunities for learning and learning was shared across the home and provider locations.

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 good (published 5 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.