The Cottage Residential Home

Updated 14 April 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 completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Cottage Residential Home 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. The Cottage Residential Home 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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 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 (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 telephoned three relatives to gather their views of the care provided. We also spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and two care workers.

We looked at six people’s care plans and records relating to the administration of medicines. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including personnel records to ensure staff had been recruited safely.

After the inspection

We reviewed the information sent to us by the registered manager about the auditing of the home.

Updated 14 April 2022

About the service

The Cottage Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care forup to 40 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom may be living with dementia or have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 33 people using the service. The home is also registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes, but no one was using the service at the time of the inspection.

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

Risks to people were assessed and care was planned to keep people safe. Information was updated and shared with staff as people’s needs changed.

There were enough staff to provide safe care for people. Recruitment processes ensured staff were safe to work with the people living at the home.

Medicines were safely store and administered and people received their medicines as prescribed and in a timely manner.

The home was clean and hygienic, and systems were in place to keep people safe from the risk of infection.

People were supported to keep in contact with their relatives and visits were taking place in line with government guidance.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care provided and to drive improvements.

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 home had a targeted inspection on 29 September 2020 but was not rated at that inspection. The last rating for this service was requires improvement (26 February 2019).

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 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.

We received concerns in relation to staffing levels and the management of the home. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

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 stayed the same.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe and Well Led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Cottage Residential Home 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.