The Old Malthouse Care Home

Updated 14 July 2021

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.

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 team consisted of two inspectors.

Service and service type

The Old Malthouse Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a 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

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, the visits coordinator and cleaner.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five 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 spoke to three relatives of people who used the service. We also spoke to four more members of care staff. We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We received feedback from three healthcare professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 14 July 2021

About the service

The Old Malthouse Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 24 people aged 65 and over with various support needs, including both physical needs and dementia, at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 34 people.

The building consists of a converted older building with additional wings added. The separate wings have various communal areas, including lounges and a garden.

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

People at the home were safe. People we spoke to were happy and there were enough staff to support people when they needed it. Healthcare professionals who worked with the service told us they had no concerns about staff or safety at the home. Medicines were managed safely using a new electronic medicines administration system. Staff knew people well enough to be able to tell if they were becoming distressed and to modify the care they gave, a staff member told us “We are like a family and you know if someone is getting upset.”

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.

The registered manager and the deputy manager were supportive of the staff and staff told us they were happy to work at the home. Healthcare professionals who worked with the service told us the home was well managed by a “professional” registered manager. One health care professional said, “In my experience with working with the Old Malthouse, I have found them to be professional and compassionate to their residents.” Another told us, “I think the service is safe and that the staff work well with the GPs.”

The registered manager and the senior team carried out audits to monitor safety. Information received from audits was used to improve the service. The registered manager kept relatives informed about changes within the service due to COVID-19, for example visiting arrangements. Relatives and friends were informed where appropriate about the care needs of people and were asked for their input via surveys.

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 13 August 2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the safety of people’s care, and the management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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 reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Old Malthouse Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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