Barchester Tower

Updated 3 February 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 carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Barchester Tower 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. Barchester Tower 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. The registered provider was also the registered manager. They will be referred to as the registered manager throughout the report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

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 looked at information from other agencies including the local authority and reviewed statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We looked at care documentation for 3 people. We reviewed information relating to medicines administration including all MAR charts and accidents, incidents and 2 staff recruitment files. We reviewed governance and auditing systems to gain an oversight on how the service was managed. We spoke to the registered manager, staff and 6 people living in the home to get their views and feedback. Not everyone living at Barchester Tower was able to tell us about their experiences in the home. We spent time with people in communal areas to observe how staff interacted with them and how support was provided. Following the inspection, we continued to review information sent to us by the registered manager and sought feedback from relatives and visiting health professionals.

Updated 3 February 2023

About the service

Barchester Tower is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 20 older people living with dementia or dementia type illness. At the time of the inspection there were 13 people living at the home.

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

Peoples safety was assessed and monitored. Staff completed safeguarding training and were aware how to recognise and report concerns. Staff worked with other agencies and health professionals to ensure people’s health and support needs were met.

Infection prevention and control measures were in place. Staff used PPE appropriately and reported health concerns when required. The home appeared clean and tidy.

Medicines systems and processes were in place to support people to receive their medicines as prescribed. Staff were safely recruited, and appropriate checks completed before staff began work at 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.

Feedback was sought from people and staff and people were supported to spend their time how they chose. People told us they had no concerns and felt well cared for. Feedback from relatives and health professionals was positive.

Staff received supervision and staff meetings had taken place. Staff felt supported and told us they enjoyed their role.

Governance and auditing systems were in place. This enabled the registered manager to have oversight of the day to day running of the service. Systems and servicing checks were also completed.

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 15 December 2020)

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 regulation.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 4 and 13 November 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led.

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 has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Barchester Tower 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.