Background to this inspection
Updated
19 December 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 one Inspector and a nurse specialist.
Service and service type
Heatherdene Nursing Home 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
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 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people using the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the provider, registered manager, senior care workers, the chef and a nurse.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three 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. We looked at training data, staffing data and supervision records. We spoke to further family members and staff and reviewed the care home’s business continuity plan.
Updated
19 December 2019
About the service
Heatherdene Nursing Home is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care for up to 27 older people. The service was supporting 24 people at the time of inspection in one adapted building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were kept safe by well trained staff who had been safely recruited and were available when people required support. Staff received training, supervision and appraisals to give them the skills and knowledge to do their job. People were supported with their medicines in the appropriate way following prescription guidelines. Staff were aware of how to keep people safe from infection and good processes and policies around this were in place. The systems for assessing and monitoring risk were designed to keep people safe from avoidable harm. When things had gone wrong, such as accidents and incidents, the service had investigated, learned lessons and acted to reduce further incidents.
People were supported to have maximum choice in 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 practise. People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing and there were thoughtful activities taking place within the home. People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet a suitable nutritional diet and food and fluid charts were kept for people at high risk of UTIs (Urinary Track Infections).
People were supported by kind and caring staff. People were comfortable and had a good rapport with staff, who showed good knowledge in people’s individual needs. People were encouraged to socialise and keep valuable relationships. People’s right to privacy, dignity and independence were promoted and they felt listened to and included in decisions about their care and support.
People’s care plans were personalised to advise staff on how to provide person-centred care. Relatives told us that staff knew and respected their family member’s preferred routines, likes and dislikes and provided care and support they wanted. Staff responded well to any concerns raised and addressed them through a competent complaints procedure. People felt listened to and regular feedback was sought by the registered manager.
Staff and people found the registered manager approachable and easy to speak to. People and relatives told us that the communication between people, staff and the management was good and the home was run well which led to a nice atmosphere in the home for everyone. Staff told us they felt supported by their colleagues and the registered manager and spoke positively about the care they provided.
There were quality assurance processes in place to ensure oversight of the safety and quality of the service at management and provider level.
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 26 April 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.