The Hazelwell

Updated 28 March 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors, one medicines inspector 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 Hazelwell is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Hazelwell is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. However, a new manager had been in post for four months and was in the process of applying to register with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four staff members. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We spoke with four people who live in The Hazelwell and five relatives. We spoke with three professionals who regularly work with the service.

Updated 28 March 2023

About the service

The Hazelwell is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 55 people. The service provides support to people in need of nursing support, respite care, end of life care and general assistance with everyday living for people with dementia. At the time of inspection there were 39 people living at the home.

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

Improvements had been made to the service in regards to infection control, medicines and to the management of risk however, we identified additional improvement was needed in regards to medicines, recruitment and recording and reporting on aspects of people’s care.

We have made recommendations in regard to medicines management and recruitment.

Care plans and risk assessments were in place that reflected the needs of people living in the home, however we identified monitoring information was incomplete.

Infection control processes had significantly improved, and the home appeared clean. Accidents and incidents were managed appropriately, and the management notified CQC of significant incidents when it was appropriate.

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.

On the day of inspection there appeared to be sufficient staff on duty to deliver care safely and the provider had plans in place to reduce the use of agency staff. We observed support being provided in the home and saw that this was done in a caring, responsive and patient manner. We saw that people were comfortable in the presence of staff.

Complaints, accidents and incidents were managed appropriately, and referrals were made to other professionals in a timely way when people living in the home were in need. The provider employed activities co-ordinators and people’s dietary needs were catered for.

There were a range of effective provider and manager quality assurance processes in place, the provider had learnt lessons from the previous inspection and improved services.

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 13 August 2021).

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

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. 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 inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk and medicines. This inspection examined those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe section of this report.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

Follow up

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