Westholme Clinic Limited

Updated 26 November 2019

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 was carried out by two inspector’s 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

Westholme Clinic 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 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

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 five 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 spoke with 10 people who used the service and seven visitors about their experience of the care provided. Visitors included one volunteer, two friends and five relatives. Direct observation was used to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the registered manager, nominated individual, registered nurses, care workers and chef. We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. This included mental capacity assessments and speech and language therapy assessments.

Updated 26 November 2019

About the service

Westholme Clinic is a nursing home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 55 people. At the time of inspection, 50 people were living at the service. People were aged 60 and over and lived with a range of health and physical health needs including degenerative conditions such as dementia.

The building is purpose built over two floors. The communal areas are on the ground floor. The building and garden were fully accessible, bedrooms on the first floor were accessed by a lift.

People’s experience of using this service

There was not an adequate process for ensuring care records were accurate and complete. The care records of some people did not show their nutritional intake had been appropriately assessed. Records did not always evidence how best interests decisions had been made. We found no evidence during this inspection that people had been impacted from these concerns and the provider took immediate action to address them.

The service was homely and welcoming, and people told us they felt safe. They said there were enough staff to look after them and they were listened to and treated with kindness. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment and staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People received their medicines safely from trained nurses

Staff provided personalised care. Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people. People and their relatives spoke positively about staff and the care they received. People were treated with dignity and compassion by a kind, caring staff and management team who understood people's individual needs, choices and preferences well.

The service was led by a dedicated management team who demonstrated compassion and commitment to the needs of the people who used the service, and the staff who worked for them. The management team worked professionally with other agencies outside of the service and ensured a transparent, honest and open approach to their work.

People were cared for by staff who were well supported and had the right skills and knowledge to meet their needs effectively. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people. People received support from a consistent staff team who knew them well. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people did not feel rushed and people received their support on time.

People were supported to have maximum control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 7 March 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.