Whitehouse Residential Home

Updated 7 October 2021

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

Two inspectors carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Whitehouse Residential 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 inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, the assistant manager, a cook and two care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records. We looked at two 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.

Updated 7 October 2021

About the service

Whitehouse Residential Home is a residential care home for up to 17 people aged 65 and over. At the time of inspection 14 people were living at the service. The care home houses everyone in one established building over two floors.

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

Everyone told us how happy they were. One person said, “I'm really happy. I'm feeling great. The food is good, the girls [staff] are good and they look after me well.” We found the procedures in place at the service supported people to receive safe care. Risks were well managed, and learning took place when accidents and incidents occurred.

People and relatives said staff knew their needs well and had the right skills and experience to support them. The service had good relationships with health and social care professionals which supported people to manage their healthcare needs. People were involved in menu planning and there were activities based around food which people said they enjoyed.

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.

Everyone we spoke with was extremely positive about the care provided. They said staff encouraged them to make their own decisions and supported them to remain independent. People went out into the community with their relatives or to meet up with their friends. People said they had confidence in staff and felt able to rely on them when they were unwell or needed extra support.

The individualised care and support which people received was the ethos of the service. People had choice about all aspects of their care and said they were listened to by staff. Complaints and feedback were quickly addressed to improve people’s care experiences.

The staff team worked very well together to ensure people were at the heart of their care. All aspects of the service were continually monitored to make sure people’s care remained good. Feedback was taken on board and used to make improvements. The service had good links with the local community; people and staff had been planning an event to raise funds for the garden which the local community were invited to.

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 (published 23 November 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

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.