Eastlands

Updated 4 November 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.

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

This inspection was carried out by two CQC inspectors one of which was a registered nurse, and an Expert by Experience (EXE). The EXE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Eastlands 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. Eastlands 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the provider 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because many of the people living at Eastlands had a mental health condition and/or learning disability. We wanted people to made aware of our planned inspection to minimise any potential disruption to their mental wellbeing.

Inspection activity started on 28 September 2022 and ended on 5 October 2022. We visited the home on 28 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

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 asked local authority commissioners, and other agencies such as Healthwatch for their views of the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used this information and our internal records to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people and two relatives. We asked them about their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with 13 members of staff. This included, six health care assistants, two nurses, housekeeper, maintenance person, catering manager, regional director of operations and the registered manager. The regional director of operations was representing the provider during this inspection.

We reviewed a range of records. This included part of the care records for seven people as well as medication administration records and the daily notes recorded by care staff. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and training. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and training records.

Updated 4 November 2022

About the service

Eastlands is a residential care home providing accommodation and nursing and personal care for up to a maximum of 20 people. The service provides support to people who have a physical disability and mental health conditions such as dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there was one person using the service who have a learning disability and/or who are autistic.

Right Support: Model of Care and setting that maximises people’s choice, control and independence

Right Care: Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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

People were protected from the risk abuse. They felt safe with staff. Risks to people's health and safety were assessed, monitored and changes acted on. There were enough skilled, trained and experienced staff to provide safe care. Medicines were well managed. The home was clean and tidy and procedures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 were in place. Learning from accidents and incidents took place, appropriate notifications were forwarded to the relevant authorities.

People's needs were assessed prior to them coming to Eastlands, this enabled the provider to be assured they could meet people's needs. People's care was provided in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Almost all training had a 100% completion rate. Action was being taken to address any shortfalls. Staff felt supported and enjoyed their role. People were supported to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Good oral health care was encouraged. People were supported to lead healthy lives and staff liaised with and acted on guidance from external health and social care professionals. The environment was suitable and adapted for people living with mental health conditions, physical disabilities and dementia.

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 felt staff were kind, caring and respectful. They enjoyed the company of staff.

Staff provided care in a dignified way that respected people's privacy. People were supported to make decisions about their care where able. Easy read documentation was used to support decision making. People's independence was encouraged and supported wherever possible

Support plans were detailed, person-centred and relevant to people's individual needs. A skills coordinator supported people with their activities and life goals. Efforts had been made to provide information for people in accordance with the Accessible Information Standard. The complaints process was clear and understood by people. Complaints had been responded to in accordance with the provider's policy. End of life care not currently provided; however, staff received the training needed to support people if required.

There have been clear, sustained improvement since the registered manager was in post. All breaches from the previous inspection had been addressed and there was a clear structure in place for monitoring risk, assessing staff performance and driving improvement and development. The registered manager was supported by senior management to carry out their role. The registered manager understood and adhered to the regulatory requirements of their role.

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 5 July 2019) and there were breaches of regulation. 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

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

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

Follow up

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