Moss Cottage Nursing Home

Updated 5 January 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 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 was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

Moss Cottage Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we completed a monitoring activity call with the service and found evidence to indicate improvements had been made within the service. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. 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 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, nurse and senior care workers, care workers and kitchen staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We reviewed the services staffing levels and walked around the building to ensure it was clean and a safe place for people to live.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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 continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records and other information provided by the service.

Updated 5 January 2022

About the service

Moss Cottage is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 30 older adults and people with physical disabilities at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 34 people. The home has communal areas, including lounge and dining area and communal bathrooms. There are individual bedrooms across two floors, some of which have en-suite facilities.

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

People were being supported to take their medicines and there were detailed records and secure storage of people’s medicines. The home was clean and tidy and the current guidance to manage the risks associated with Covid-19 were being followed. People felt safe, individual and environmental risks were assessed, action taken to reduce risks as much as possible, and learn lessons when things went wrong. Suitable recruitment processes were being followed to ensure there were enough staff to meet people’s needs, although some people did comment that they would like more activities to do.

People enjoyed their food and staff knew how to meet the needs of people who required a specific type of diet. People’s needs were being assessed and staff worked closely with other healthcare professions to meet these needs. Staff felt suitably trained and well supported in their roles.

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 were supported by a stable team of staff, and a registered manager who was committed to improving the service. The registered manager completed a variety of checks to enable any risks or shortfalls to be quickly addressed and understood the requirements of their roles. People felt able to raise concerns and feedback their views, and feedback was taken onboard.

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 01 May 2020) and there were two 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

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service between 03/03/2020 and 20/03/2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found.

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, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. 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 Moss Cottage Nursing 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.