Background to this inspection
Updated
16 April 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 one inspector.
Service and service type
Sowerby House 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 CQC. This means 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
The first day of our inspection was unannounced; we told the provider we would be visiting on the second day.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority.
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.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service, and five members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, regional manager and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included recruitment records, medicine records and people’s care plans and risk assessments. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We received further evidence by email and continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We made telephone calls to gather people’s feedback about the service. We spoke with four people who used the service, three members of staff and received feedback from three health or social care professionals about their experience of the care provided to people.
Updated
16 April 2021
About the service
Sowerby House is a residential care home providing personal care for younger adults and older people who may be living with a physical disability or dementia. The service is registered to support up to 51 people in one adapted building. Thirty people were using the service when we inspected.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were at increased risk of harm because infection prevention and control practices were not always safe and effective. Good practice guidance had not been followed to help minimise risks relating to COVID-19. The provider’s audits had not identified and addressed the issues and concerns we found.
Management were approachable and responsive to feedback. They acted in response to our concerns to make improvements to help keep people safe. We will check and make sure improvements continue and are sustained at our next inspection.
Staff were safely recruited, and enough staff were on duty to meet people’s needs. People provided positive feedback about the service and the kind and caring staff. The registered manager was approachable and responsive to feedback addressing any issues or concerns people had.
People had a choice of meals and felt staff provided good support to help make sure they ate and drank enough. However, records relating to people’s food and fluid intake did not always provide a clear picture of the support provided and we spoke with the provider about reviewing these.
Medicines were managed and administered safely.
Staff understood how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. Risk assessments were in place to guide staff on how to safely meet people’s needs. The registered manager reviewed all accidents and incidents to identify any actions that could be taken to prevent a similar thing happening again.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 1 August 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management of people’s medicines, support with meals and drinks, staffing and infection prevention and control practices. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We inspected and found there was a concern with infection prevention and control practices, so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a focused inspection which included the key questions of Safe and Well-Led only.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified breaches in relation to infection prevention and control practices and governance. You can see what action we have taken at the end of this full report.
Follow up
We requested an action plan from the provider to understand what they would do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.