Archived: Montrose Hall

Updated 1 November 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one 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

Montrose Hall is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 reviewed information and evidence we already held about the home, which had been collected via our ongoing monitoring of care services. This included notifications sent to us by the home. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send to us without delay. We also sought feedback from partner agencies and professionals who work with the service. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who lived at the home and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, district manager, chef manager, team leaders and care workers.

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 a range of records. This included four people’s care records, five staff personnel files and multiple medication records. We also looked at other records relating to the management of the home and care provided to people living there.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at additional information supplied relating to person centred care and activity completion.

Updated 1 November 2019

About the service

Montrose Hall is a modern, purpose built home situated within a local community in Wigan. It provides residential care for up to 41 older people, including people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided over two floors with lift access between the floors. Each floor has a main lounge with dining area and a second smaller lounge. At the time of the inspection 40 people were living at the home.

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

People spoke highly of the care and support provided by staff who were described as being kind, caring and respectful. Staff knew people well and how they wished to be cared for and supported.

The home was extremely responsive to people’s needs and wishes and provided exceptional person-centred care. People were encouraged and supported to set and achieve goals and ambitions.

A great deal of time and effort had been spent by the staff in designing and decorating the home both inside and out, to ensure it provided a stimulating environment, which met specific needs as well as promoting independence and socialisation.

The home had developed excellent links with a number of community groups and organisations. These provided positive benefits to both people living at the home and the wider community. The home had been selected to take part in local authority pilot schemes, which underlined their standing within the community.

The home considered activities and social interaction to be an integral part of people’s lives. People and relatives spoke positively about the opportunities available, which included access to community-based activities and events. Through the support provided by the home, people had reconnected with both friends and activities they had lost touch with.

People were encouraged to provide their views and opinions about the home and care provided through both meetings and questionnaires, to help drive continuous improvements. The home completed a range of audits and quality monitoring processes to help support this process.

People, relatives and staff told us the home was extremely well run, with the registered manager being an active role model, who was open, approachable and focussed on supporting people and staff to achieve their potential.

People’s safety was maintained, through ongoing personalised risk assessments and by ensuring the premises and any equipment was maintained and serviced regularly. People received their medicines on time and had ready access to healthcare professionals as and when required.

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 (report published February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.