Cordelia House Ltd

Updated 12 January 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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one 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

Cordelia House Ltd 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. Cordelia House Ltd 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 and professionals who work 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 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 4 people, 1 person’s relative, the registered manager 4 staff members and 1 agency staff member. We observed staff practices and how they interacted with people. We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the home. These included care records for four people, training records and three staff recruitment records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We contacted external professionals working with the service and seven people’s relatives.

Updated 12 January 2023

About the service

Cordelia House Ltd is a residential care home providing accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. The service can support up to 40 people, including those who may live with dementia, physical disabilities, sensory impairment or may have mental health support needs. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people using the service.

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

At this inspection we found evidence that demonstrated people received outstanding caring, kind and positive support. This was due to excellent leadership from the registered provider and registered manager as well as a strong, well-motivated team of staff. Everyone we spoke with gave exceptional feedback about how caring, professional and supportive the staff were and so often went the extra mile to ensure people were happy and felt well cared for.

Relatives of people were extremely complimentary about the way their family members’ care was planned and provided. Relatives consistently told us the actions taken by staff promoted their family members’ physical health and mental well-being because staff knew their wishes and respected them as individuals.

People received a consistently high standard of care because staff and management put people first and at the heart of the service, while continuously looking for new ways to improve their care and quality of life. Care was personalised and met people's individual needs. Staff knew people very well, cared about them and understood their care and support needs as well as the risks people faced.

People were empowered by staff to do a wide range of interesting things such as participating in choirs, gentle exercise, practice their faith and to keep in touch with others who were important to them.

People and relatives told us they felt safe with staff. Staff received safeguarding training and thoroughly understood their roles and responsibilities. Weekly activities during 'Safeguarding Week' were inclusive and engaged people in expressing how their safe place would look like. The aim of national Safeguarding Week was to raise awareness about safeguarding and to emphasise that everyone has a role to play in keeping people safe from harm. The home had sufficient staff and deployed them to meet the individual needs of the people. People received their medicines when they were needed and in ways that suited people. There were systems in place to check that medicines were administered correctly and safely. The service recorded and analysed accidents and near-misses to understand what had happened, identify trends, and help prevent them from happening again.

People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff worked with other health and social care professionals so people's physical and mental health needs would be promoted. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff provided them with care in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service promoted this practice.

Staff were motivated to make a difference to people's lives. The culture of the service encouraged inclusivity for people.

People were supported at the end of their lives in ways which reflected their choices and wishes. There was a very strong emphasis on the provision of activities that were meaningful and therapeutic to the people living in the home. People told us they were happy with how they spent their time.

The culture at the home encouraged and nurtured people. Relatives told us the way the home was run meant their family members [people] received exceptional care.

Suggestions made by people, relatives and other professionals were listened to and used to inform how the home was developed. Staff were positive about working at the home and told us they were well supported by an approachable management team. The registered manager and provider were committed to ensuring opportunities were taken for driving improvements at the home.

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 the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 9 August 2018.

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

Follow up

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