Northlea Court Care Home

Updated 24 April 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC's response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 11 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 24 April 2021

About the service

Northlea Court Care Home is registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 50 people. At the time of the inspection there were 43 people using the service, some of whom were living with dementia. Bedrooms are situated on two floors with people being able to access communal lounges and dining areas.

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

People spoke positively about the care and support they received. Comments included, “Staff are really lovely I get on well with all of them” and “Staff are very pleasant and helpful, they will always help if you need anything.” We observed lots of positive and caring interactions between people and staff. However, we observed some staff were more confident and skilled when communicating with people who were living with dementia than others.

Effective systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided and identify any areas of improvement. We have made a recommendation about the registered manager ensuring their quality monitoring system included checking the experiences of people who are living with a dementia related condition. This was to make sure that best practice guidelines were followed.

People told us they felt safe living at Northlea Court Care Home. One person told us, “I feel secure and happy in my room and safe.” Risks to people’s personal safety had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise these risks. Measures were in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. Staff all felt confident any concerns raised would be listened to by management and actions taken to address them.

People’s care plans contained detailed assessments and individual information to ensure people’s care needs were met. People had access to a range of activities. There were safe medicine administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of 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.

People and relatives had opportunities to share their views and make suggestions on how the service could be improved. Complaints and concerns were taken seriously and had been dealt with appropriately.

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 (published 31 July 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.