Background to this inspection
Updated
13 October 2016
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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
The inspection was carried out on 30 August and 01 September 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector from CQC (Care Quality Commission).
Throughout the day, we observed care and treatment being delivered in communal lounges and dining areas. We also looked at the kitchen, bathrooms and external grounds. We asked people for their views about the services and facilities provided. During our inspection we spoke with the following people:
• Eight people that lived at the home.
• Two visiting relatives.
• Nine members of staff, which included; the registered manager, deputy manager, care team leader, senior care staff, care staff, cook, activities coordinator and the administrator.
We looked at documentation including:
• Five care files and associated documentation
• Five staff records including recruitment, training and supervision.
• Five Medication Administration Records (MAR)
• Audits and quality assurance documentation.
• Variety of policies and procedures
• Safety and maintenance certification
Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications regarding safeguarding and incidents, which the provider had informed us about. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us
by law. We also looked at the Provider Information Return (PIR), which we had requested the registered manager complete prior to conducting the inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make.
We liaised with the local authority and local commissioning teams and we reviewed previous inspection reports and other information we held about the service.
Updated
13 October 2016
This comprehensive inspection took place on 30 August and 01 September 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.
We last inspected the home on 13 September 2013, when we found the service to be compliant with all the regulations we assessed at that time.
Hourigan House is situated in the centre of a residential area of Leigh. The home is registered to provide care and support for up to 40 people. The bedrooms are single occupancy and a number of the bedrooms have en-suite facilities. Bedrooms are located across two floors and are accessible by a lift. At the time of the inspection, there were 37 people living at Hourigan House.
At the time of our visit there was 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.
All the people we spoke with told us they felt safe living at the home. We saw appropriate risk assessments were in place and support plans had been developed to meet people’s individual needs and preferences.
The home had sufficient numbers of staff deployed which were formally calculated based on people’s dependencies. The recruitment process was robust and there were appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place to maintain people’s safety.
The management of medications promoted people’s safety. Appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure that medicines had been ordered, stored and administered appropriately.
Members of staff were trained to provide effective and safe care which met people’s individual needs and wishes. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff were supported by management to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge through ongoing support and regular training. The staff liaised with a range of health care professionals to ensure that care and support to people was well coordinated and appropriate.
The manager and staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
The experiences of people who lived at Hourigan House were positive. People were treated with kindness and compassion and people's privacy and dignity was respected. People were involved in their care planning and the care and support they received was personalised and staff respected their wishes and met their needs.
People led busy and fulfilled lives. The activities coordinator was motivated to ensure everybody’s needs were catered for and we saw a varied activities programme was on offer. People spoke highly of their experiences and that they wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the home to other people that were considering a care home.
People knew how to make a complaint and these were responded to within the timescales indicated in the policy. We saw the home had received a lot of compliments and appreciation for the care provided.
A range of audits were undertaken to help monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. We saw actions were implemented timely following any deficits identified. Management understood their legal requirements and notifications had been submitted to CQC.