Godolphin House Care Home

Updated 24 November 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 carried out by two adult social care inspectors, 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

Godolphin House Care 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.

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection as part of the planning process. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We met and spoke with 7 people who lived at the service and 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 also spoke with 4 care staff, 2 activities coordinators, a housekeeper, a cook, the nominated individual and one of the provider’s directors. We also spoke with 2 visiting healthcare professionals about the service’s performance.

We looked at records relating to people’s care. This included 3 care plans, medicine administration records (MARs) and a section of accident and incident records.

We also asked the service to send us records relating to the day to day management of the service, such as call bell records and quality assurance audits. This information was reviewed in detail after the site visit.

Updated 24 November 2022

About the service

Godolphin House Care Home provides care and support for up to 32 older people. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 26 people. The service is part of a group of three care homes in Cornwall.

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

People told us they felt safe living in the service and staff provided care with compassion. The atmosphere in the service’s communal spaces was relaxed and people were supported to participate in a range of activities. The service had a dog that people enjoyed interacting with.

The service was appropriately staffed on the day of the inspection and rotas showed although staffing was challenging safe staffing levels had been consistently achieved. The providers recruitment practices were safe and 4 additional staff had been recently recruited.

Risks were managed appropriately, and staff had the skills and support necessary to meet people’s needs. People received their medicines as prescribed.

There were appropriate infection control measure in place and an ongoing programme of improvement to the service environment. The toilet adjacent to the lounge did not have a lock and we have recommended the service seeks advice on how to ensure people dignity is protected while using this facility.

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.

The service worked effectively with health professionals to ensure people needs were met and additional systems had been introduced by the provider to ensure information and advice provided was accurately documented.

There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for this and one other of the provider’s services. The registered manager spent two days each week in the service and was supported by a deputy manager and senior team leader. Staff told us they were well supported by the leadership team.

Quality assurance systems were effective, and the service regularly received compliments and positive feedback.

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 the service was Good published on (19 May 2018). At this inspection the service has remained good.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

As a result, we undertook a focused inspection of Godolphin House to review the key questions of Safe, effective and Well-led only.

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.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Godolphin House Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Recommendations

We have recommended the provider seeks guidance on how to ensure people’s dignity is protected while using toilet facilities independently.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.