Blossom House Residential Home

Updated 15 September 2023

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

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. 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

Blossom House Residential 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. Blossom House Residential 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 registered manager in post.

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 who work with the service. We also requested feedback from Healthwatch to obtain their views of the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 21 June 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We had varying conversations with 12 people who lived at the home and 8 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spent time seeing how people were cared for. 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 spoke with 10 staff members including the registered manager, lead for person centred care, housekeeper, senior care staff and care staff, activities coordinator and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We looked at a range of records. These included sampling 4 people’s care records and multiple medicine records. Multiple governance records were reviewed including 3 staff recruitment files, policies, quality assurance audits, statutory notifications, risk assessments and training statistics.

After the inspection visit, we continued to receive information from the registered manager including care planning, staffing rotas and person-centred documentation.

Updated 15 September 2023

About the service

Blossom House Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 40 people within one large, adapted building. The service provides support to younger and older people who may have physical disabilities, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 31 people were living at the home.

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

At this inspection, we found the registered manager and provider had made significant improvements to the service, and they were now meeting the regulations. People received personalised care, shaped around their individual needs, choices, and preferences. People’s care plans reflected their individual needs and were kept under regular review. People’s end of life wishes were consistently recorded. The registered manager and provider’s quality assurance together with recruitment of staff, such as a person-centred lead had enabled them to drive improvement in the service people received.

People were supported by staff who had received training in, and understood, how to protect them from avoidable harm, discrimination, and abuse. The staffing levels maintained at the home ensured people’s individual needs could be met safely and flexibly. Systems and procedures were in place to ensure people received their medicines safely and as prescribed, and to protect people from the risk of infection. Accidents and incidents involving people living at the home were analysed by the management team to stop things from happening again.

People’s needs and choices were assessed in order to develop effective care plans and achieve positive outcomes for people. Staff received effective induction, training, and support to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities. People were supported to have a balanced diet and any risks associated with their eating and drinking were assessed and managed. Staff and management worked collaboratively with external professionals, team, and agencies to ensure people received coordinated care. Measures were in place to continue with refurbishment and redecoration of the premises to meet the individual needs of the people living at the home.

Wherever possible, people's consent was gained before any care was provided. People were supported to have choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff treated people in a kind and caring manner and took the time to get to know them well. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted and respected by staff and management. Staff promoted people’s lifestyle choices and assisted people to retain their independence. People were encouraged and supported to express their views about the service.

Staff supported people’s participation in a range of things to do for fun and interest. People were supported to fulfil their ambitions and follow their individual interests. People and their relatives had accessible information in how to raise a complaint and the provider had procedures to identify any causes and opportunities for improvement.

The registered manager and provider were keen to promote a culture of support for staff where learning was promoted, and improvements continued to flourish. Staff were clear about their responsibilities and felt able to approach management for any additional support needed. The management and staff team worked in partnership with other professionals and the local community to achieve good outcomes for people.

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 requires improvement (published 8 May 2020) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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 has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

Follow up

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