Sun Woodhouse Care Home

Updated 10 August 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

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector 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

Sun Woodhouse 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. Sun Woodhouse 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 not a registered manager in post. The home manager was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. We refer to them as ‘the manager’.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we received about the service since the last inspection and liaised closely with local authority partners and professionals who worked with the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who lived at the home, the manager, the regional operations manager, the cook and 3 members of care staff. We observed care in communal areas, including the lunchtime experience. We reviewed a range of care records, including 2 care plans, medicine records and 3 staff recruitment files.

After the inspection

We reviewed a range of records to understand whether the provider had sufficient oversight of this care home.

Updated 10 August 2023

About the service

Sun Woodhouse provides care and support for up to 24 older people. There were 17 people living at the service when we visited, most of whom were living with dementia.

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

The lift had not been adequately maintained, which placed people at risk due to this equipment safety check having not been completed as per recommended guidance. These works were completed following our inspection in July 2023.

Audits were taking place and the regional operations manager visited the home and produced their own reports.

Staff told us the culture in the home had improved over the months since the home manager joined. They felt able to contribute their opinions and effective staff support was clearly important to the manager.

Staff had a visible presence throughout the home and feedback we received demonstrated there were sufficient numbers of staff. People provided positive feedback about the care they received from staff who had been safely recruited.

Risk assessments were in place which identified how risks should be reduced. Staff were able to demonstrate they understood people’s individual risks and action needed. Some staff were not clear about their responsibilities in the event of a fire. This was shared with the home manager who took immediate action.

Medicines were safely managed as the administration and recording process was sufficiently robust. Some gaps were identified in recording associated with topical creams, although people told us these items were administered as prescribed.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood signs of abuse and how to report any concerns.

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 told us they were listened to and in control of their day-to-day routines. If they had any concerns, they were able to report these to staff or to the manager who they spoke positively about.

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 14 August 2019.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed to requires improvement.

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

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Follow up

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