Thurleston Residential Home

Updated 10 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 undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

Thurleston Residential Home 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. Thurleston Residential Home is a care home without 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who used the service and 4 people’s friends and relatives. We also observed the interaction between staff and people using the service including during meals and when medicines were being provided.

We spoke with 4 staff members including the registered manager, the deputy manager, cook and administrator.

We reviewed the care records of 3 people who used the service, and multiple records relating to medicines. We also reviewed 3 staff recruitment files, and records relating to the management of the service including audits, improvement plan and complaints.

Following our inspection visits, we received electronic feedback from 3 people’s relatives, 1 social care professional and 3 staff, including care and domestic staff. We also spoke with 5 people’s friends/relatives and 1 staff member on the telephone.

We fed back our findings of the inspection to the registered manager via video call on 14 February 2023.

Updated 10 March 2023

About the service

Thurleston Residential Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 37 people in one adapted building. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people using the service, some people were living with dementia.

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 had a learning disability.

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

Right Support:

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.

Right Care:

People’s privacy, dignity and human rights were promoted and respected.

Right Culture:

People received care and support with was person centred, caring and responsive.

Since our last inspection, there had been a change of provider for the service. There were plans in place for improvement to the service and the environment. The provider and registered manager were fully aware of improvements required and these improvements had started to be made. However, not all improvements were fully implemented and embedded in practice at the time of this inspection. There was an action plan in place which identified how the improvements were being driven and this was kept under review.

Improvements were ongoing in how people received their medicines as prescribed, ensuring staff received the training they needed to meet people’s needs, learning lessons when things went wrong and care plans and risk assessments were in the process of being reviewed.

Systems were in place to reduce the risks of abuse and avoidable harm. Staff were available when people needed support. The staffing levels were kept under review and staff were recruited safely. The service was visibly clean. People were supported to have visits from their family and friends.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health professionals. Systems were in place to support and meet people’s dietary and hydration needs.

People received the opportunity to participate in activities, however, this was not always captured in their care records.

There was a complaints procedure in place. People’s views were sought and listened to about how they wanted to be cared for. People received care which was responsive to their needs. Improvements were ongoing with regards to people’s care plans and risk assessments. People’s end of life decisions were recorded, where they had chosen to discuss this.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 23 November 2022 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good (published 15 July 2021).

Why we inspected

This was a newly registered service, which had not yet been inspected.

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.