The Island Residential Home

Updated 22 September 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

The inspection was carried out by two 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

The Island 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 the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We contacted health and social care professionals to obtain feedback about their experience of the service. These professionals included local authority commissioners and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Healthwatch told us they did not have any information about the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

Some people were not able to verbally express their experiences of staying at the service. We observed staff interactions with people and observed care and support in communal areas. We spent time speaking with nine people and seven relatives, both in person and some through video and telephone calls.

We spoke with seven staff including; the cook, two care staff, two senior care staff, the registered manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. This included speaking with staff in person on the day of the inspection and by telephone after the inspection.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's personal care records, care plans and people's medicines charts, risk assessments, staff rotas, staff schedules, two staff recruitment records, and meeting minutes. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 22 September 2021

About the service

The Island Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 29 people at the time of the inspection. People living upstairs were over 65 years old. Some people upstairs were cared for in bed. People living downstairs were mostly younger adults. The service can support up to 34 people.

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

People and relatives provided positive feedback about the service. They told us staff were kind and caring. Comments included, “Certainly know how to look after me"; “They have the skills to look after them”; “I can’t fault the carers”; “They are kind and caring” and “It’s a good place.”

Staff had been recruited safely to ensure they were suitable to work with people. People had regular staff who they knew well. People were well supported by competent, knowledgeable and well-trained staff. Staff were well supported by the management team.

The premises were clean and free from odours. We were assured that the provider’s infection prevention and control policy was up to date.

Risks to people’s safety had been well managed. Risks to the environment had been considered as well as risks associated with people's mobility and health needs. The provider continued to have systems in place to monitor accidents and incidents, learning lessons from these to reduce the risks of issues occurring again.

The design and layout of the service met people’s needs. Signposts were in place which helped people living with dementia.

Prior to people moving into the service their needs were assessed. These assessments were used to develop the person’s care plans and make the decisions about the staffing hours and skills needed to support the person.

Meals and drinks were prepared to meet people's preferences and dietary needs. People told us they liked to the food.

The service was well-led. The management team carried out the appropriate checks to ensure that the quality of the service was continuously reviewed, improved and evolved to meet people’s changing needs. The management team promoted an open culture and were a visible presence in the service, staff felt listened to and valued.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. People’s medicines were well managed.

When people needed medical attention, this was quickly identified, and appropriate action was taken. For example, if people were losing weight referrals were made to dieticians, or if people fell regularly, they were referred to a fall’s clinic. Staff worked closely with the GP and other health professionals.

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.

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 this service was Requires improvement (published 19 November 2019).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 17 and 18 September 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

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.