Archived: Belmont House Residential Home

Updated 7 August 2019

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

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Belmont House Residential 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 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 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 reviewed the previous inspection report and other information we had received about the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service, two visitors and a visiting hairdresser about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. The registered manager was not available during the inspection but we contacted them following the inspection to discuss our findings.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Following the inspection, the provider supplied further information which we reviewed and used to inform the report.

Updated 7 August 2019

Belmont House Residential Home accommodates up to 24 older people in one adapted building. There are communal lounges, bathrooms and a garden. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people living in the service.

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

Infection control processes did not always protect people from cross infection.

Staff did not always follow the system in place for reporting incidents. This meant appropriate action may not have been taken to safeguard the people concerned or reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Where concerns, complaints or incidents had been brought to the attention of the registered manager or senior staff, action had been taken.

Systems were in place to help ensure staff were recruited safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. However, there were some areas requiring improvement and we have made recommendations about these.

People felt safe, staff understood any risks to people and helped them stay safe.

When people lacked the capacity to make their own decisions, assessments had been completed on their behalf.

Staff received an induction and regular training. People were supported to stay healthy and to eat and drink well. The provider had recently reviewed and changed the use of the environment to better meet people’s needs.

People were well cared for by staff who understood their needs and supported their independence. Staff had time to spend with people and enabled them to make decisions about their day.

Staff knew people well but information about people’s preferred routines, the way they wanted to be supported and how to promote their wellbeing and social needs were not recorded in detail. We made a recommendation about this.

The way people required information presenting to meet their needs had not been assessed or recorded. We have made a recommendation about this.

People, visitors and staff knew the registered manager and described them as ‘hands on’. The provider and senior staff showed they were keen to learn from mistakes and take action to improve the service.

Governance procedures within the service had not been effective in identifying all areas for improvement or ensuring changes were made to reflect best practice.

Following the inspection, the provider shared what action they were taking to improve the service following feedback from the inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Belmont House Residential Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection The last rating for this service was good (report published 19 December 2016).

Why we inspected This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement We have identified breaches in relation to infection control, management of risks to people and how the quality of the service was monitored at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.