Valley Court

Updated 8 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 2 inspectors and a specialist advisor who was a nurse.

Service and service type

Valley 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. Valley 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 not a registered manager in post. However, a manager was in post and had applied to register with us. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 14 February 2023 and ended on 21 February 2023. We visited the location on 14 February 2023 and 16 February 2023.

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 spoke with 12 people who lived at the home and 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 16 staff including the deputy manager, quality manager, nurse, care staff, activity coordinator, administrator, housekeeping staff, maintenance staff, chef and kitchen staff. We also spoke with 2 visiting health professionals.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 12 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 8 March 2023

About the service

Valley Court is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to up to 69 people. The service provides support to older adults and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 56 people using the service. The home accommodates people on 2 floors. One floor specialises in the care of people with nursing care needs. The lounges and dining areas are situated on the ground floor.

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

There was a manager is post who had commenced the process to become a registered manager. However, they were on holiday at the time of the inspection. The deputy manager and quality manager were present throughout the inspection. The management team had made positive changes. Overall, people, staff and relatives spoke positively about the management team. Regular meetings were held so they could share their views on the home and help develop the support they received and the environment they lived in. Systems had been improved to ensure people's care needs were being met and any areas for improvement were identified. Some of these systems had recently been introduced and required time to become established to continue to drive improvement.

People and relatives told us they felt safe and cared for. Staff had received safeguarding training and concerns had been raised and acted on appropriately. Medicines were managed safely, and we observed good infection control practices. The provider’s recruitment process had not always been followed; however, this was being addressed by the quality manager. We saw there were enough staff to meet people's needs.

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 were happy with the quality of the food and choices available. Staff received training appropriate to people's needs. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required. Healthcare professionals we spoke to were complimentary about the staff team and support provided.

People told us they felt respected and had their privacy and dignity maintained. They also told us staff were kind and caring. People and relatives were involved in decisions about their care and their independence was encouraged. Overall, care plans contained personalised information about people and staff knew people well. End of life care plans were in place and staff had received training. People told us and we saw that activities took place daily including group sessions and one to one in people’s bedrooms. People told us they knew how to raise any concerns if needed and felt they would be listened to.

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 last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 21 April 2022). 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 carried out an unannounced inspection on 10 and 15 February 2022 when breaches of legal requirements were found in relation to; person centred care, safe care and treatment and good governance. Following this inspection, we asked the provider for an action plan to demonstrate how the governance issues found would be addressed and monitored.

We undertook this inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.