Old Hastings House

Updated 23 December 2022

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 carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Old Hastings 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. Old Hastings 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 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 looked around the service and spoke with the people that lived there. We spoke with 6 people and 7 members of staff. Staff included the registered manager, the deputy manager, the chef, the maintenance lead, two senior carers and two carers. 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 looked at a range of documents relevant to people’s care and support. These included 6 care plans. Care plans contained a range of risk assessments relating to people’s needs. We looked at documents relating to medicines including multiple medicine administration records (MAR). We looked at documents relating to auditing, quality assurance and 4 staff files. We spoke with 6 relatives and 6 professionals.

Updated 23 December 2022

About the service

Old Hastings House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to older people with a range of support needs including dementia and issues affecting their mobility. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.

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

Safeguarding policies were in place and staff knew what steps to take to protect people. People were safe and were protected from harm. People had risk assessments in place and care plans that were person centred and documented all support needs. Staff had been recruited safely and there were sufficient numbers of staff on every shift to support people safely. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely. When accidents and incidents occurred, they were managed appropriately with all details being recorded and close analysis of what had taken place. Steps were taken to minimise the chance of a recurrence and any learning shared with staff.

Pre-assessments were carried out by the registered manager or senior staff members to ensure that the service could support people’s needs. New staff went through an induction and were then supported by regular supervision and appraisal meetings. We were shown a training matrix confirming that staff had been trained in all areas required to support people. People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met and people all spoke highly of the food provided. People were supported by the service to keep social and medical appointments. 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 registered manager was a visible presence and had developed a positive culture at the service. Auditing processes were thorough and people, relatives and staff all had opportunities to provide feedback about the service. The registered manager had complied with the duty of candour and had fostered positive working relationships with other health and social care professionals.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 25 November 2019) and there were breaches 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 regulations.

Why we inspected

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.

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 Old Hastings House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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