Plessington Court

Updated 17 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 22 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 17 March 2021

This inspection was carried out on 25 and 26 February 2018. The inspection was unannounced on the first day and announced on the second day.

Plessington Court 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.

Plessington Court is a purpose built care home that accommodates up to 20 people and is located on the outskirts of the village of Puddington. The home is surrounded by open countryside and is not accessible by public transport. At the time of our inspection 19 people were living at the home.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We last inspected the service in October 2015 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service had improved to ‘Outstanding’ in one domain and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

Without exception everyone we spoke to was positive about the staff and management team. People and their relatives described staff as knowledgeable, kind, caring and patient. Relatives described staff as welcoming and stated the management team were visible within the home.

Staff had developed excellent relationships with the people they supported and were very attentive to each person's needs. People's privacy and dignity was consistently respected. We observed many positive interactions between staff and the people living at the home.

People's care plans were very person centred and reflected their individual wishes, preferences and choices. Their needs that related to age, disability, religion or other protected characteristics were considered throughout the assessment and care planning process. Risks to people's health, safety and well-being were assessed and plans were put in place to mitigate risks and ensure people received an appropriate level of support to meet their individual need.

People participated in a wide range of interesting activities of their choice to reduce the risk of social isolation. People's individual needs were met by a knowledgeable and skilled staff team that knew people really well. People engaged with their local community and were supported to continually expand their horizons. The registered provider had introduced a programme called Namaste which had enhanced a person’s life. There was a creative approach that supported people to positively engage in activity.

People's individual dietary needs were assessed prior to them living at the home and were regularly reviewed. People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. Care records demonstrated people were supported to access external health care professionals.

Recruitment procedures were robust and only staff of suitable character were employed. There were enough staff to meet the needs of the people living at the home. Staff had the skills and knowledge to support people and were offered opportunities for development.

All staff had received safeguarding training, were familiar with the policies and procedures and understood how to report any concerns they had.

People's medicines were ordered, stored and administered in accordance with good practice guidelines. Staff had received training and regularly had their competency assessed. Medication administration records were fully completed.

The registered provider acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Records showed and people told us consent was always sought in relation to care and treatment.

Accidents and incidents were fully documented and analysed to identify any trends or patterns. Interventions were sought to minimise future incidents.

The registered provider undertook a range of quality audits to identify areas for development and improvement. Action plans were prepared and completed in a timely manner. The staff team participated in the audits undertaken at the home.

People and their relatives were confident that the registered provider would take any concerns they had seriously and respond promptly. A complaints policy and procedure was in place and accessible to everyone at the home.

The home was spacious, clean and suitable for the people living there. Personal emergency evacuations plans were in place for each person living at the home. All required health, safety and equipment checks were undertaken.

The registered provider had a comprehensive range of policies and procedures available for staff to offer them guidance. These were regularly reviewed and updated.