Generals Meadow

Updated 6 July 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

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Generals Meadow 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. Generals Meadow 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there were two registered managers 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 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 four people and two relatives about their experience of the service. We observed staff interactions with people in the communal areas. We spoke with seven members of staff including both registered managers, deputy manager, senior carer, carer, administrator and wellbeing co-ordinator.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care plans and all the medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including checks and audits.

Updated 6 July 2022

About the service

Generals Meadow is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 18 older people who may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people being supported in one large adapted building.

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

People told us they felt safe and comfortable living at the service. Improvements had been made to the building and the environment to keep people safe and improve their wellbeing, such as changes to the garden.

Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had been assessed and there was guidance in place for staff to mitigate the risk. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff had been recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Accidents and incidents had been recorded and analysed to identify patterns and trends. Action had been taken to reduce the risk of them happening again.

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. There were systems in place to protect people from abuse and discrimination.

Checks and audits had been completed on all aspects of the service; action had been taken to rectify any shortfalls. People had been asked their opinion about the service and their suggestions had been acted upon.

People, relatives and staff told us the management team were approachable and they were comfortable to raise any concerns they may have. Relatives confirmed they were able to visit when and for as long as they wanted.

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

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 14 November 2019). 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

We inspected the service based on the previous rating.

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.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 7 October 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Generals Meadow 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.