Little Heath Care & Support

Updated 8 March 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 two inspectors 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

Little Heath Care and Support 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. Little Heath Care and Support is a care home with 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. This included CQC notifications. These describe events that happen in the service that the provider is legally required to tell us about.

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

Some people living at the service were unable to communicate verbally. 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 10 people who lived at the service and 10 relatives to hear their views about the care provided. We spoke with 12 staff. This included the registered manager, deputy manager, and nominated individual, as well as staff at all levels. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also received feedback from 2 professionals who had contact with the service.

The views of everyone we spoke with have been incorporated into this report.

We viewed a range of records and documents. This included 4 people’s care plans and the daily records kept in 6 people’s rooms. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We checked a variety of records relating to the management of the service. This included policies and procedures, quality assurance and health and safety documents. We considered this information to help us to make a judgement about the service.

Updated 8 March 2023

About the service

Little Heath Care and Support is a care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 64 people. At the time of our inspection, 61 people were living at the service. The service provides support to people who are living with dementia as well as those with care, physical or sensory needs. Little Heath Care and Support is a purpose built care home with bedrooms on two floors and access to communal areas, gardens and facilities such as a shop and hairdresser salon.

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

Risks to people and their safety was monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe. The living environment and equipment were regularly checked to reduce and manage risks. The registered manager was in the process of creating environmental risk assessments. Effective infection prevention and control measures were in place.

People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff were trained and understood how to protect them from poor care and abuse.

People appeared relaxed and comfortable living at Little Heath Care and Support and staff knew them well. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and understood and responded to their individual needs. Information was recorded and shared appropriately to enable staff to help people get the support they needed in the way they preferred.

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.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that met their needs. People were supported to access specialist support and routine health checks. Staff worked with other health and social care services to promote good outcomes for people and keep them safe.

The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Some people and relatives told us they felt more staff were needed. Staff were safely recruited by the provider.

There were clear lines of accountability and staff received training to ensure they were confident in their roles. Staff were passionate about the service and committed to providing high quality, person-centred care. The actions of staff reflected the vision of the provider.

Effective assurance processes were in place and the quality and safety of the service was well monitored. Systems helped identify shortfalls and areas for improvement. Audits were carried out regularly and overseen by the provider to ensure people received a safe and well run service. Performance information was reviewed by the management team and used to learn and make changes to develop and improve the service.

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 5 July 2022).

At the last inspection, there were breaches of two regulations. 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.

At our last inspection we recommended the provider referred to best practice guidance about recording in in relation to medicines management. At this inspection we found the provider had taken action to improve in this area.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 6 and 7 April 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and 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.

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 Little Heath Care and Support 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.