Archived: Layden Court Care Home

Updated 29 January 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

On the first day the inspection was carried out by an inspector, an assistant inspector and an 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. On the second day the inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Layden Court 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 home is divided into four units, one providing personal care and the other three providing nursing care. One unit specialises in providing care for people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided over three floors, with accessed provided by passenger lift.

The service had a registered manager, who, along with the provider is 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 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. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the service on 3 and 18 December 2019. We spoke with nine people and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, area manager, a nurse, care workers and an activity coordinator. We also spoke with three visiting health and social care professionals. As some people found verbal communication more difficult we observed the interaction between people and the staff who supported them in communal areas throughout the inspection visit.

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 reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including quality audits and improvement plans, accidents and incidents analysis and complaints records.

Updated 29 January 2020

About the service

Layden Court is a care home providing accommodation including nursing care for up to 89 older people. At the time of the inspection 85 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service

Although, some improvements had been made in the management of medicines, further improvements were needed. The provider monitored and analysed accidents and incidents and this helped prevent recurrences. However, there was room to improve the recording and monitoring of minor injuries, such as scratches and bruises of unknown origin. Overall, the provider ensured people were protected from abuse, and safeguarding concerns were reported appropriately to the local authority. There were enough staff available to meet people needs.

The provider had continued to make improvements to the environment and this was ongoing. The registered manager ensured shortfalls in cleanliness and infection control were addressed during the inspection. Some people's dining experience did not meet their needs on day one of the inspection. However, the registered manager addressed this and people’s experience was much improved on day two, although there remained some room for further improvement. Overall, people's needs and choices were assessed and care records showed people's needs were met. However, some people's care plans needed updating. Staff we spoke with felt very well supported by their managers, but not all staff had been provided with supervision sessions on a regular basis.

For the most part, staff treated people with respect and dignity. We saw that staff were kind and caring, recognised when people needed support and engaged appropriately with people. People and those close to them were involved in formulating their care plans, although there was room to improve the evidence of their involvement in the monthly reviews of their care.

People had opportunities to engage in activity and social interaction, although there was room to improve this for people who spent more time in their rooms, or those living with dementia. People's choices for their end of life care had been considered and were recorded and reviewed. People we spoke with knew how to raise a complaint and said they felt comfortable to do so. The registered manager dealt with people’s complaints in a fair and open way and used positively to improve the service.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good ( published June 2017). You can read the report from previous inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.