George Potter House

Updated 14 December 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 team consisted of an inspector 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

George Potter House 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. George Potter House is a care home with nursing care. Care Quality Commission [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 CQC 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, although they were in the process of serving out their notice and would be leaving the care home at the end of 2023. A new manager had been appointed and was undergoing their induction. They were aware they will need to submit an application to register to us.

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 used all the information we had about this service to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people about their experiences of living at the care home and 5 people’s visiting relatives/friends. We also spoke to various members of staff who worked at the care home including, the outgoing registered manager, the area service manager, the newly appointed incoming manager, a nurse, 5 care workers, a cook, a laundry assistance, a domestic cleaner, and a maintenance person.

Throughout our visit we observed interactions between people living and working in the care home including during the serving of lunch.

In addition, we reviewed a range of records. This included 7 people’s care plans, 4 staff files in relation to their recruitment and training, and multiple medicines records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection including records relating to, staff rosters, staff training, quality monitoring audits and a recent improvement plan developed by the area service manager. We received this information as requested, which was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 14 December 2023

About the service

George Potter House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 69 people. At the time of our inspection there were 38 older people living at the care home. The care home accommodates people in 1 adapted building built over 2 floors, each with their own separate facilities.

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

The overwhelming number of people we spoke with talked positively about the care home. A person’s relative told us, “My [family member] is taken care of at George Potter House and I am sure she is happy living there.”

People were kept safe and were confident any concerns they raised would be listened to. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff received training on how to recognise and report abuse and knew how to apply this knowledge. Staff were aware of how to manage risks people they supported might face and how to keep them safe. Enough staff were deployed to meet people’s assessed needs whose suitability and fitness to work at the care home had been thoroughly assessed. The premises was kept clean and tidy and staff followed current best practice guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection. People received their prescribed medicines as and when they should.

Staff had the right levels of training, support and experience to deliver effective care and meet the needs of people living at the care home. People had access to a wide variety of food and drink that met their dietary needs and wishes. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. People lived in a safe, well-maintained and comfortable environment. 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 provider promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people living in the care home, their relatives, and staff working there. Staff knew and understood people, and responded well to people’s individual needs. The provider worked well with external health and social care agencies and professionals to plan and deliver people’s packages of care.

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 overall (published 6 June 2023). At our last inspection we recommended the provider consider current guidance on medicines recording and act to update their practice. At this inspection we found the provider had acted upon our recommendation and improved how they managed medicines records.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to how the care home was being managed, specifically in relating to medicines, nutrition and record keeping. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service and for both key questions safe and effective remains good, and the rating for the key question well-led remains requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm however, we have found evidence that the provider needs to make further improvements.

Please see the well-led section of this full report.

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

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified issues in relation to how the provider operates their governance systems and have made a recommendation about how they manage their oversight and scrutiny practices.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.