Wadhurst Manor

Updated 16 February 2022

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.

We received information of concern about infection prevention and control measures at this service. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 8 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 16 February 2022

About the service:

Wadhurst Manor is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Wadhurst Manor accommodates 65 people in one adapted building. At the time of this inspection 46 people lived at the service. The building was purpose built with well-designed areas for people to enjoy dining experiences. There was access to pleasant outdoor spaces for people.

The home was laid out over three floors. The middle floor was called ‘memory lane.’ People who lived with dementia were supported there on two ‘units’ called; ‘Topaz’ and ‘Amber.’ On the top floor people were supported with lower level ‘residential’ assessed needs in five of the rooms.

People’s experience of using this service:

People continued to receive a service that provided ‘Good’ outcomes. People were happy with the care they received and enjoyed living at the service. One person told us, “This place [Wadhurst Manor] has been a saviour to me. I cannot fault them in anyway.”

People felt safe and told us that staff supported them to feel safe at Wadhurst Manor. Staff were trained to support people’s needs safely and understood how to raise safeguarding outside of the service should they need to. Staff told us they did not have any current concerns for people.

Risks to people and the wider environment were identified and managed to ensure people were safe. Safety measures such as window restrictors were used. Appropriate safety checks were completed to ensure that equipment was well maintained and safe for use.

Medicines continued to be managed safely and people received their medication as prescribed and ‘as required.’ People were supported to maintain their independence in their daily activities and choices and were facilitated to ‘self-medicate’ medicines when desired and assessed as safe to do so.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff aimed to support people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff ensured that they asked people for their consent before they supported them with any activities of daily living.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA] and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards [DoLS] procedures. The management team had notified us appropriately when DoLS applications had been authorised.

People were given enough to eat and drink to meet their nutritional needs, choices and preferences. People’s more complex nutritional needs were identified and met appropriately. For example, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool [MUST] monitoring was used, and professionals were referred to without delay, when people needed support regarding identified risks of choking or malnutrition. Kitchen staff were fully aware of people’s individual dietary needs.

Activities were provided as groups or on a one to one basis and people said they enjoyed these and that staff positively encouraged them to join in when appropriate. There were links to the wider community and people and their relatives were invited to attend sessions and talks at the service regarding dementia care to enable this to be more understood and for people and their relatives to feel supported and informed.

Complaints were managed well, and people felt listened to. The new management team were proactively working to address any concerns or complaints raised.

The service was well-led by the new management team who worked well together. People said the management were friendly and approachable. One person said, “The manager is lovely she comes to see me." Another person told us, "The manager is very good to me she comes in to see me.” There was an open and transparent approach with the way the service was run. Staff were encouraged to voice their views which were listened to and acted upon by the management team. The new manager had applied to become registered with the Care Quality Commission as they are required to do so.

The management team received positive accessible support from a senior management team and specialist trainers within the organisation to support them to manage the service. There were robust quality monitoring systems to closely monitor the quality and safety of the service people received at Wadhurst Manor.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report published July 2016)

Why we inspected: We inspected as part of our usual inspection methodology for services rated as ‘Good.’

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk