Background to this inspection
Updated
28 January 2020
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.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
Cornerways Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with CQC. 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 they registered with CQC. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does 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 all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people, four staff, the registered manager and the two providers. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including training and quality assurance processes were also reviewed.
Updated
28 January 2020
About the service
Cornerways Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 17 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 20 people.
Accommodation is provided over three floors in a large detached home in Hythe.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and liked living at the service. They said the staff helped them stay safe. Risks to people were identified and measures were in place to keep risks to people’s health and welfare to a minimum. People were supported by enough staff who had been recruited safely. Robust employment checks were completed before new staff began to support people. New staff completed a comprehensive induction and all staff completed regular training to keep up to date with best practice. Staff supported people to have their medicines safely and on time. Regular checks on medicines were completed and staff were trained and assessed as competent to provide this support.
People’s needs and preferences were assessed before they began living at the service to make sure staff could meet these needs. When people’s needs changed, records were updated to reflect this. People were supported to stay as healthy as possible and staff worked closely with health care professionals to provide effective, joined-up care. People were referred to health care professionals as needed. People told us they enjoyed their meals and they had a wide variety of choices. They were able to suggest different ideas for meals and were listened to by staff. 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 were supported by a staff team who knew them well. The providers, registered manager and staff were passionate about providing high-quality care. They were kind, caring and patient and people told us they liked them all. Throughout the inspection staff spoke gently with people and were calm and reassuring. Staff valued people for their individuality and shared a holistic view of people’s care. People were treated respectfully, and their privacy and dignity were maintained.
People’s background, life history, career and people and things that were important to them were recorded. This enabled staff to get to know them and stimulated conversations with people about their past. People were engaged in meaningful activities which they told us they enjoyed. Regular events were held, and a dedicated activities co-ordinator spent time with people on a one-to-one basis each day. People told us they enjoyed cooking and gardening and had visits from local school children. People told us they did not have any complaints about the quality of service or staff and were confident the registered manager would resolve any issues if they had any.
People told us the service was well-led. They said the providers regularly came to see them and chat with them. They all spoke positively about the registered manager and staff. The atmosphere at the service was calm and relaxed. The culture was one of openness and inclusivity where people and staff were valued. Regular checks on the quality and safety of the service were completed and action was taken if a shortfall was identified.
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 16 September 2017). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed and the service re-registered. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions at this inspection. This service was registered with us on 10 January 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on our current inspection programme.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.