The Haven

Updated 31 August 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 1 inspector and 1 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

The Haven 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. The Haven 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 not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for 3 months and was in the process of applying to register. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 25 July 2023 and ended on 28 July 2023. We visited the location’s service on 25 July 2023 and 28 July 2023.

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. 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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 25 August 2021 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person and 10 people’s relatives to seek their views on the care provided. We spoke with 9 staff members, including the manager, group operations manager, deputy manager, chef, maintenance person, domestic cleaner, senior care workers and care workers. We also reviewed written feedback from 1 volunteer.

We observed staff interactions in shared parts of the service. We looked at 5 people’s care plans and risk assessments, and multiple medication records. We reviewed 2 staff files. A variety of documents used for governance and oversight were also looked at, such as policies, procedures, and audits. We received written and verbal feedback from stakeholders including the local authority safeguarding and quality teams, speech and language therapy, and other visiting professionals.

Updated 31 August 2023

About the service

The Haven is a residential care home providing accommodation with personal care to up to 32 people in one adapted building. The service provides support to people with care and support needs, including those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service.

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

Care plans and risk assessments were in the process of being reviewed and updated, with the input of people and their relatives. There were some areas of the service where infection prevention and control measures could not be fully maintained, due to the need for renovations. The provider was aware of this and had invested in a substantial refurbishment, which was in progress at the time of inspection. Environmental checks took place to ensure the safety of the building and equipment. Medicines were given safely and as prescribed, although some ‘as required’ (PRN) medicine protocols needed further detail. Staff recruitment was safe. Systems and processes were in place to ensure any safeguarding matters were investigated fully.

There was a new management team in place since the last inspection, and they were working with a clear commitment and ambition to drive continuous improvement at The Haven. The new team were in a transitional period, due to being so new in post, and had not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate how changes would be made and monitored for success. We have made a recommendation about a service development plan. Systems and processes were in place to support good governance. Feedback from people and their relatives indicated an improving service with a caring staff team. Legal and regulatory responsibilities were well understood at leadership level. The service worked in partnership with other stakeholders.

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 CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 5 March 2020).

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider ensure care plans and risk assessments are updated, DoLs reflected all restrictions in place and quality assurance processes are robust. At this inspection we found the provider had made some improvements, but this still needed to be fully embedded whilst a new management team settled into their roles.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to alleged organisational safeguarding matters. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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 remained as good based on the findings of this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation on implementing a service development plan, to show how the management team are meeting their aims and ambitions for The Haven.

Follow up

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