Rivermead

Updated 23 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. 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector, a member of our medicines team 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.

Service and service type

Rivermead 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 who was new in post and had applied to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. We have referred to them as ‘the manager’ in this report. This means 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 who works with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the regional manager, manager, deputy manager, nurse, care staff, maintenance and activity staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and 24 medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 23 January 2020

About the service

Rivermead is a residential care service providing nursing care to 46 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 74 older and younger adults.

The service accommodates people across two separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities. People with general nursing needs are cared for on the Westow wing, whilst those who have care needs primarily associated with dementia are cared for on the Malton wing.

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

People told us they felt safe and well supported by staff. The provider followed robust recruitment checks, to employ suitable staff, and there were sufficient staff employed to ensure care and support were carried out in a timely way. People's medicines were managed safely.

Staff received appropriate training to give them the knowledge and skills they required to carry out their roles. This included training on dementia care and on how to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff received supervision to fulfil their roles effectively and had yearly appraisals to monitor their work performance.

People had choice and control of their lives and the staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There was a planned programme of activities open to everyone including family and friends.

Staff knew about people's individual care needs and care plans were person-centred and up to date. People and relatives gave us positive feedback about the staff and described them as "Excellent, caring and friendly." Staff treated people who used the service with compassion, dignity and respect.

The service was well managed and organised. The management team assessed and monitored the quality of care provided to people. People and staff were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 June 2017).

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.