Archived: The Hawthornes

Updated 4 May 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 8 and 11 March 2016 and was unannounced on both days. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector and an expert by experience on the first day of the inspection and an adult social care inspector on the second day of the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home and we gathered information from the local authority and from 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 a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who lived in the home, including observations and speaking with people. We spoke with six people who lived at the home, six relatives, four care and support staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager.

We looked at four people’s care records, three staff files and training data, as well as records relating to the management of the service. We looked around the building and saw people’s bedrooms, with their permission, bathrooms and other communal areas.

Updated 4 May 2016

The inspection of The Hawthornes took place on 8 and 11 March 2016. The registered manager was taking leave and not available to speak with us on the first day of our inspection. We therefore met with one of the deputy managers. On the second day of our inspection we spoke with the registered manager.

The Hawthornes is a care home which offers care and support for up to 40 people. All bedrooms have en-suite facilities and there are communal areas such as lounge, dining area and bathrooms. At the time of our inspection there were 38 people living at the home.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and appropriate procedures were in place to help keep people safe. Risk assessments had been completed and measures put into place to reduce risks. The building was well maintained and regular safety checks took place.

Medicines were managed and stored in a safe way and staff who were responsible for administering medicines had received training to do safely.

Staff were recruited in a safe way and had received appropriate training to enable them to provide effective care and support to people. Staff received support through regular supervision.

Consent to care was sought from people and staff acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The design and layout of the home was appropriate to meet people’s needs and the home was fresh and clean.

People told us staff were caring. We observed a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the home and people’s privacy and dignity were respected.

Care and support was provided in a person centred manner. Care needs were regularly reviewed and people were involved in their care planning. People told us they could make their own choices.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and the home was well-led. Staff were motivated to provide good care to people.

Regular staff meetings and resident meetings were held and the registered manager sought feedback from people.

Audits took place regularly and action plans were developed and acted upon to improve the service.