Background to this inspection
Updated
22 January 2020
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.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
The Owls is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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 since the last inspection, including information from the provider about important events that had taken place at the service, which they are required to send us. We sought feedback from Blackpool local authority and Healthwatch Blackpool. 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.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who lived at the home, three relatives, the registered manager and owner. We also spoke with the two members of staff and the cook. We observed care practices and how staff interacted with people in their care. This helped us understand the experience of people supported by the service.
We 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 looked at care records of one person and arrangements for meal provision. We also looked at records relating to the management of the home, recruitment of a staff member and medicines records. We reviewed the services staffing levels and walked around the building to ensure it was clean, hygienic and a safe place for people to live.
Updated
22 January 2020
About The service
The Owls is situated in an area of Blackpool. The building is a large detached property with wheelchair access and parking available. The home is registered for 15 older people. At the time of the inspection 14 people lived at The Owls.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risk of abuse and kept safe by staff who were trained to protect them. The registered manager recorded and audited any incidents and accidents and learnt from them. Staff continued to be recruited safely and sufficient numbers of staff supported people to live as independent a life as possible whilst living with dementia. Medicines were managed safely by trained staff. Infection control systems and audits continued to ensure a clean environment and reduce any risks.
The registered manager ensured staff received training that met their needs and supported people who lived at The Owls. People spoke positively about the quality of food and home-made meals and cakes prepared for them. One person said, “The food is very nice and plenty of it.” People received support with their healthcare needs promptly. 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 registered manager and staff embraced people’s diversity and provided sensitive care delivery centred on promoting people’s human rights. They were committed to developing personalised care to ensure it supported and benefited each person’s life. A relative said, “I come a lot here and they treat each person as an individual and respect that.” Information about local advocacy services was available, to ensure people could access support to express their views if required.
Activities were varied, and people told us there were trips and entertainment regularly provided. People’s communication needs had been assessed and where support was required these had been met. People knew how they could raise concerns about the service and a complaints procedure was in place. However, no complaints had been received since the previous inspection.
The owner and registered manager were clear about their roles and provided care which resulted in good outcomes for people who lived at the home. They worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people’s health and social needs were met. The registered manager and owner used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. This ensured the service continued to be monitored and improve.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 30 March 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating
Follow up: We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme receive concerning. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.