Matthews Neurorehab Unit

Updated 23 September 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

The inspection team consisted of an inspector, a specialist advisor, and an expert by experience. A specialist advisor is a person with professional expertise in care and/or nursing. 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

Matthews Neurorehab Unit is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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

The inspection was unannounced although we did contact the registered manager from the car park when we arrived to ensure it was safe for us to visit and that no-one at the service was unwell due to COVID-19.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We reviewed the provider's statement of purpose and the notifications we had been sent. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about. We reviewed information received from the local authority.

During the inspection

We met three people using the service and one relative. We spoke with eight relatives by telephone. We spoke with the registered manager, two nurses, one support worker, the administrator, and the maintenance person.

We looked at records relating to the safety and governance of the service including accidents and incidents, medicines, staffing, and quality assurance. We sampled eight people's care and nursing records.

Updated 23 September 2020

About the service

Matthews Neurorehab Unit is a care home providing accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 38 people. At the time of the inspection 27 people were using the service.

Accommodation is provided over two floors with passenger lifts for access. All bedrooms are ensuite and there are a range of communal areas including lounges, dining rooms, and accessible garden areas.

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

People and relatives told us the service provided good quality personalised care and support. A person said, “I get really good care and the staff do things the way I want them done.” A relative told us, “I can’t fault the staff, they’re so helpful. I feel reassured my [family member] is safe and well-looked after.”

Some people’s care records needed improvement as they contained unclear and contradictory information and gaps. Despite this, staff understood people’s care and nursing needs and how to reduce the risk of them coming to harm.

The service was well-staffed with enough care and nursing staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff ensured people had their medicines on time.

The premises were clean and hygienic. Staff understood how to prevent and control infections and systems were in place to support this. Staff wore the correct PPE in line with government guidelines.

The service had a caring and positive culture. The registered manager listened to people, relatives and staff and addressed any concerns they might have. The service was multicultural, staff welcomed and supported people from a range of cultural backgrounds.

The provider’s system of audits and checks covered all aspects of the service. Some audits were being reviewed and improved to ensure they were fit for purpose and involved the people using the service.

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

Why we inspected

This was a focused inspection based on concerns we had received about the service. These were in relation to people's care. As a result, we undertook this focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has stayed the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

At the time of our inspection the local authority and other agencies were carrying out a safeguarding investigation into care at the service. This had not been concluded at the time this report was written.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Matthews Neurorehab Unit on our website at www.cqc.org.uk