Haighfield Care Home

Updated 5 October 2022

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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

Haighfield is a care home with nursing. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. 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. At the time of our inspection, the home did not have a registered manager in post, although we were told plans were in place for the home manager to register.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity was carried out between 23 August and 6 September 2022. Further inspection activity was completed via telephone and by email, including speaking with people who used the service, relatives and reviewing additional evidence and information sent to us by the provider.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who worked with the service, including Wigan local authority. The provider was 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and 12 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with five members of staff including three care staff, the current home manager and a member of the quality assurance team.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records, a selection of medicine administration records (MAR) and three staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found following our site visit.

Updated 5 October 2022

About the service

Haighfield is a care home located in Standish, Wigan and can accommodate up to 45 older people. The home is operated by Mr Naveed Hussain & Mr Mohammad Hussain & Mrs Anwar Hussain, a partnership. At the time of this inspection, there were 34 people living at the home.

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

Our inspection was carried out following an incident where a person had fallen down some stairs and suffered a serious injury. We carried out checks of the home environment and found it was not always safe. Items such as topical creams, drink thickeners and cleaning products were not stored securely. Corridor areas were cluttered and presented a trip hazard when people were mobilising.

The fire risk assessment had not reviewed since September 2020. This was despite the five-year electrical installation report expiring in February 2022, which could present a fire risk. There had been an incident earlier in the year where the electrics had ‘blown’ in part of the home. The provider made arrangements for these to be completed during the inspection, with work planned for September 2022. We have made a recommendation regarding staffing levels within the home due to the feedback we received.

Governance systems at the home needed to be improved. A high number of staff had not received regular supervision, or an annual appraisal. The matrix used by the service to monitor this showed these were overdue. The last full team meeting was in February 2022 and the last residents’ meeting was in August 2021. These were not in line with the expected frequency. The policy and procedure regarding service user satisfaction surveys said these would be sent each year. However, this had not been done. People living at the home and their relatives told us they were not regularly asked for their views.

The current home manager completed daily walkarounds to check the environment and safety within the home. However, these were not documented. Provider audits were completed. However, these did not always provide a focus on the areas of concern we had found during the inspection. Confidential information was not stored securely, with documents such as staff personnel files and personal care records openly accessible. Some staff said that although they enjoyed their roles, staffing levels could often impact their morale and the culture in the home.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection

This last rating for the service was good (2 March 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a specific incident, following which a person using the service sustained a serious injury. The injury is currently being reviewed as a ‘Specific incident’. As a result, this inspection did not examine the specific circumstances of the incident. The information CQC received about the incident indicated concerns about the safety of the environment. This inspection examined those risks and the wider safety of people living at the home.

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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements with regards to safety and leadership of the service. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service is requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

Follow up

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