Background to this inspection
Updated
16 March 2023
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 carried out by 4 inspectors and 2 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
Colonia Court 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. Colonia Court is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
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. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 10 people who used the service and 15 relatives. Some people could not give us feedback. We, therefore, used informal observation to evaluate their experiences and to help us assess how their needs were being met. We also observed how staff interacted with people. We looked at records in relation to 14 peoples care.
We spoke with the registered manager, a senior manager, 2 clinical managers and 15 staff including 3 unit managers. We looked at records relating to the management of the service and systems for checking the quality and safety of the service.
Updated
16 March 2023
About the service
Colonia Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 123 people across 4 purpose built units, each with its own specialism.
Paxman House provides nursing care and support for up to 35 people. Mumford House accommodates up to 28 people who are living with dementia. Blomfield House is a residential unit for up to 30 older people and Amber Lodge provides specialist nursing care for up to 30 people diagnosed with Huntington's Chorea. At the time of our inspection there were 108 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives were positive about the service and the care provided. One person told us, “I need to tell you how marvellous it is here. They are wonderful. I couldn’t ask for better people to look after me. I really didn’t think it would be like this, but it really is a wonderful place to live. I feel very safe here.” Staff were highly thought of and were said to be ‘the best thing’ about this service. Caring attitudes, professionalism and welcoming manners positively impacted the lives of people using the service and family alike. Relatives stated many times how fortunate they considered themselves having their loved ones living at Colonia Court and they were so grateful for this.
The atmosphere within the home was friendly and welcoming and staff were warm and considerate towards the people they cared for. A relative told us, “[Family member] is looked after very well, all their needs are met. [Family member] has dementia, staff are very good to [family member] and [family member] likes them. Yes, they feel safe, they think of Colonia Court as their home now.”
Management and staff were dedicated and committed to the service. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Relatives told us there were always staff around checking and interacting with people. Staff knew how to keep people safe and protect them from avoidable harm. A relative told us they had fought for their family member to come to Colonia Court because the staff understood their condition and were aware of the risks to their family member’s health and welfare, “They are constantly supervised and staff anticipate their needs”. Another relative said, “My [family member] has been here one week and the difference is staggering.”
People received their medicines as prescribed and systems were in place for the safe management of medicines.
The registered manager investigated incidents, accidents and complaints, and took actions where needed to improve practice and prevent reoccurrence. Relatives were considered partners in care and felt fully involved. Relatives told us they knew who to approach if they had a concern and were confident that anything raised would be dealt with.
The service was well led, the registered manager provided clear and consistent leadership. People and staff felt well supported. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.
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 requires improvement (published 31 May 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. 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 undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
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 changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Colonia Court 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.