Moorlands Nursing Home

Updated 26 November 2019

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.

This was a targeted inspection to check the provider had taken suitable actions to address the areas of concern raised to ensure people were safe. This report only covers our findings in relation to those concerns.

Inspection team

The inspection consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Moorlands Nursing Home 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.

The home had a new manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. This means that 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

This inspection was unannounced.

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 and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We observed the care provided to ten people and spoke with two people who used the service. We spoke with three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the manager, quality assurance manager, deputy manager, one nurse, three care workers, an activities co-ordinator and the cook. We also spoke with two health professionals visiting the home.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records which included medication records, menus, food and fluid monitoring records and minutes from a range of meetings. We looked at two staff files in relation to training and staff supervision.

Updated 26 November 2019

About the service

Moorlands Nursing Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care for older people. The service can provide support for up to 30 people some of whom are older people living with dementia.

The service also provides short term care (up to six weeks) for people who are unwell and are unable to manage at home. People can also be cared for on a short-term basis for assessment and recovery on discharge from hospital to allow recuperation and reablement before they are able to return home safely. At the time of the inspection 24 people were using the service.

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

People were observed to be happy. The service provided care and support in line with people's needs and wishes.

Staff understood the procedures they needed to follow if they suspected abuse might be taking place and told us they were confident the management would act on any concerns.

Medicines were managed safely with an effective system in place. Additional checks had been introduced following the concerns received.

People were supported by a staff team who were knowledgeable about people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. A training plan was in place and staff told us they received all the support they needed to perform their roles.

Most people and relatives told us there were suitable numbers of staff on duty to ensure people’s needs were met.

People were supported with eating and drinking and feedback about the quality of meals was very positive. Special diets were catered for and alternative choices were offered to people if they did not like any of the menu choices. Nutritional assessments were carried out and action was taken if people were at risk of malnutrition.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff knew the people they were supporting well and respected the choices they made about their care. People’s independence was encouraged.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 7 July 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a targeted inspection, based on concerns about risks raised with CQC in relation to the care some people received, management of medicines and quantity of food and drinks available. CQC are conducting trials of targeted inspections to measure their effectiveness in services where we have been alerted to potential risks.

We undertook this targeted inspection to check the service was meeting legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation three key questions - is the service Safe, is the service Effective and is the service Caring? The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good. This is because we have not assessed all areas of the key questions.

The local authority and the provider had investigated the concerns raised and where required, had also acted to ensure people continued to receive safe care and treatment.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the service and respond accordingly. We plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.