Hulton Care Home

Updated 9 December 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

The inspection took place on 18 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 9 December 2020

We carried out an unannounced inspection at Hulton Care Home on 12 and 13 September 2018.

Hulton 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. Accommodation is provided on two floors. The home is divided into two areas with the Nelson suite providing care for people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 27 people accommodated in the home.

The service was managed by a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We carried out the last comprehensive inspection on 26 and 27 July 2017 and assessed the service as overall requires improvement. We identified three breaches in respect to the management of risks, care planning and the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Following the inspection, the provider sent us an action plan, which set out the actions they intended to take to meet the regulations. During this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the service was now compliant with all the current regulations. We have revised the rating to overall good.

People living in the home told us they felt safe and staff treated them well. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Appropriate recruitment procedures were followed to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work in the home. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were kept safe from abuse and harm and staff knew how to report any suspicions around abuse. Staff understood best practice for reducing the risk of infection and audits were carried out to ensure the environment was clean and safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff were provided with the training they required in order to support people safely and effectively. An induction and training programme was in place for all staff. A detailed assessment was carried out to assess people’s needs and preferences prior to them receiving a service. This meant that care outcomes were planned and staff understood what support each person required. People were supported with their healthcare and nutritional needs, as appropriate.

Staff treated people in a respectful and dignified manner and people's privacy was respected. People living in the home had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved wherever possible in the care planning process. We observed people were happy, comfortable and relaxed with staff. Care plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided guidance for staff on how to meet people’s needs and preferences. There were established arrangements in place to ensure the care plans were reviewed and updated regularly. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible and were supported to participate in a variety of daily activities. People were also offered the opportunity to go on regular trips in the community.

The registered manager was well respected and provided strong, supportive leadership to her team. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and ensure people received safe and effective care. These included seeking and responding to feedback from people in relation to the standard of care.