The Laurels Care Home

Updated 29 October 2022

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

One inspector visited the service and one Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people’s relatives. 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 Laurels Care Home 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 Laurels Care Home is a care home without 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 a manager in post, who was in the process of registering with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

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 liaised with members of the local authority, quality assurance team, and reviewed information held on our system about this service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with ten members of staff including the manager, nominated individual (the nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider), owner and seven members of care staff including those working at night time. We spoke briefly to one person living at the service who showed us their bedroom (viewed from the doorway due to infection control practices in place at the time).

We reviewed a range of records, including four people’s care records and four medication records. We looked at 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with seven people’s relatives by telephone, about their experiences of the care provided.

Updated 29 October 2022

About the service

The Laurels Care Home is a residential care home providing care and support to up to 52 people. The service provides care to people aged over 65 years old, some people were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people living at the service and one person in hospital. The home is a purpose built, single storey building.

At the time of our inspection, the service was experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, with all people being supported to remain in their bedrooms and receiving individualised care and support to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Some staff were also on sick leave. These circumstances were taken into consideration in the approach taken to completing this inspection.

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

We identified that whilst the service was dealing with safeguarding concerns appropriately, records showed notifications to CQC had not consistently been made in line with their regulatory responsibilities. Further development in certain aspects of the provider’s own audits and checks would ensure consistent adherence to health care professional’s guidance in relation to the repositioning of people to maintain skin health.

Overall, people received their medicines as prescribed, but care records would benefit from further development to ensure staff are clear when to either seek medical input or give people medicine to manage constipation risks. Improvements to the counting in and out of medicines for example when people were admitted to hospital was also identified.

Feedback from people’s relatives was mainly positive, we shared any information of concern with the manager, who was responsive to our feedback, and liaised with people’s relatives directly to resolve concerns or implement changes.

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.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff. People’s bedrooms were personalised, and the care environment contained signage and information to support people to independently move within their home.

People were supported to maintain regular contact with their relatives and friends, and to participate in activities in group and on a one to one basis, with activity staff in place. People’s care records were personalised, and provided staff with detailed guidance, including people’s preferences, likes and dislikes.

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

This service was registered with us on 07 April 2022 after the provider sold the service to a new provider, and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Requires Improvement, with Inadequate for Well-led with ongoing breaches of regulations and conditions remaining imposed on the registration, resulting in the service remaining in special measures. The report was published on 15 February 2022.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. We have made some recommendations within the report to support ongoing improvements of the service.

This service has been in Special Measures since 27 January 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service has not been compliant with the regulations, with ratings of requires improvement or inadequate for the last 10 inspections. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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 overall rating for the service remains Requires Improvement with no breaches of regulation based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

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