Heather Grange

Updated 22 April 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

An inspector and 1 expert by experience undertook the inspection on the first day. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. An inspector visited the service on the second day.

Service and service type

Heather Grange 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. Heather Grange 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 was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced on the first day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service, such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We also sought feedback from the local authority.

The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We observed how staff provided support for people to help us better understand their experiences of the care they received. We spoke with 9 people living in the home, 3 relatives, 8 members of care staff, a housekeeper, the administration manager, an activities coordinator, the deputy manager, the registered manager and the area manager. We also spoke with a visiting healthcare professional.

We carried out a visual inspection of the building with the registered manager and reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care documentation, two staff files and a sample of people’s medicines records. We also reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 22 April 2023

About the service

Heather Grange is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 70 people. There were 56 people living in the home at the time of the inspection. Accommodation is provided in single occupancy rooms, all of which had an ensuite shower facility.

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

People told us they felt safe living in the home, and they were happy with the service provided. Improvements had been made to the management of medicines and people received their medicines safely. Staff had received safeguarding training and had access to the provider’s policies and procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. The provider operated an effective procedure for the recruitment of new staff. Individual and environmental risks had been assessed and managed. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The premises had a good standard of cleanliness throughout the building.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The management team carried out a series of audits to check and monitor the quality of the service and ensure records were completed accurately. The registered manager provided clear leadership and considered the views of people, their relatives and staff in respect to the quality of care provided.

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

Rating at the last inspection and update

The last rating for the service was requires improvement (published 9 November 2021) and there was a breach of a 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

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 5 October 2021. 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 the management of medicines.

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 comprehensive 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.

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.

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