14-17 Palmwood Court

Updated 23 January 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team: Two inspectors visited the service

Service and service type: Palmwood Court is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. 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:

We reviewed information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The inspection was also informed by other information we had received from and about the service. This included statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law. We also received feedback from the local authority who commission services from the provider. We used all this information to inform our inspection plan.

We spoke with six people that were using the service. We also spoke with the registered manager and four support staff.

We looked at five people’s care records to check that the care they received matched the information in their care plans. We reviewed three staff files to see how staff were recruited and the training records to check the training provided to staff. We looked at the systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement.

Updated 23 January 2019

What life is like for people using this service:

People we spoke with said they felt safe living at Palmwood Court. They said it was a homely place and staff were kind and caring. People were protected from harm and they described how staff kept them safe. Where people took known risks, these had been assessed and identified to ensure the people were fully aware of how to reduce these. There was sufficient staff who had followed a robust recruitment processes. Medicines were administered, stored and destroyed in line with the providers policy and procedures. The environment was clean, tidy and infection control measures were in place. Issues of concern were managed and dealt with in a timely manner.

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed. Care was planned and delivered to reflect people’s needs. Staff received sufficient training to support them in their role to provide effective care. People had sufficient to eat and drink to ensure they had a nutritious diet and were hydrated. Staff provided consistent care where necessary, equipment was used to ensure people were independent. Staff and the provider participated in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. People and their families had access to accessible information, suitable to their needs.

People were treated with dignity and respect. People were supported by staff who were knowledgeable about their care needs. People expressed their views and were involved in their care planning.

People experienced a positive impact on their health and wellbeing when participating in activities out in the community that were tailored to their needs. People knew how to raise a complaint or concern. There were robust complaint systems to monitor themes and trends. End of life care plans were in place to ensure people’s beliefs and wishes were respected to at the end of their life.

Support was planned and reviewed regularly. Care was provided over a 24-hour period. There were clear monitoring systems to support the service and ensure it was run well. There was an open and transparent culture throughout the home. The registered manager submitted notifications to CQC in a timely manner. Positive feedback on how the service was managed was received from people, family and other healthcare professionals. When necessary people had access to healthcare professionals, such as, GP, dentist and hospital appointments.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report was published in April 2016)

About the service: Palmwood Court is a complex of four bungalows. The service specialises in providing care and support for people who live with a mental health condition. At the time of the inspection there were 11 people using the service. People live at the service permanently.

Why we inspected: this was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained Good overall.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 29 November 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.