We carried out a review of the data available to us about Half Acre Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Half Acre Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Half Acre Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 32 older people who require personal care, some of whom live with dementia. The home is purpose built with single bedroom accommodation on three floors. Half Acre is close to Radcliffe and Bury town centres and easily accessible to public transport. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people living at the home
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Feedback from people and visitors was positive about the care and support people received. Staff were described as friendly, caring and respectful. Our observations supported what we had been told.
Individual care plans were in place. Work was being completed to further enhance plans providing personalised information about people’s individual needs and wishes. Where risks had been identified these had been assessed and planned for. 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 to follow routines of their choosing. Activity staff and on-line resources were available to help promote people’s well-being. The home was to explore further opportunities with regards to people’s sexuality and cultural needs.
People were complimentary about the quality and choice of meals provided. Kitchen staff understood the dietary needs of people and additional advice and support was sought where people were at nutritional risk.
Clear management systems were in place to monitor and review standards across the home. Where action was identified, plans were in place to make any improvements needed. People we spoke with and staff were confident in the management and leadership at the home.
Safe recruitment procedures were in place. The staff team was stable with little turnover. Staffing levels were kept under review to ensure changing needs were appropriately met. A comprehensive programme of training and development was in place. Staff told us they felt supported and were equipped to carry out their role and responsibilities.
People’s prescribed medicines were managed safely. Staff responsible for the administration of medication had completed training and had their practice assessed to make sure it was safe.
Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure the premises and equipment were appropriately maintained and kept safe. Good hygiene standards were maintained, and relevant guidance was followed to help minimise the risk of cross infection.
Systems and processes were in place to deal with any safeguarding concerns and complaints. People and their visitors said they felt able to raise any issues with the staff team. Managers worked with relevant agencies to resolve any concerns and improve systems so people received safe and effective care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service provider was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first rated inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 9 January 2019.
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 effectively.
During this inspection we carried out a separate thematic probe, which asked questions of the provider, people and their relatives, about the quality of oral health care support and access to dentists, for people living in the care home. This was to follow up on the findings and recommendations from our national report on oral healthcare in care homes that was published in 2019 called ‘Smiling Matters’. We will publish a follow up report to the 2019 'Smiling Matters' report, with up to date findings and recommendations about oral health, in due course.”
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Half Acre Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 32 older people who require personal care, some of whom live with dementia. The home is purpose built with single bedroom accommodation on three floors. Half Acre is close to Radcliffe and Bury town centres and easily accessible to public transport. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people living at the home.
We found the following examples of good practice.
Government guidance and best practice surrounding visiting arrangements were complied with. People were supported to maintain contact with their loved ones; both face to face visits and remote contact was supported.
The premises were visibly clean and in good order. We saw cleaning schedules included regular cleaning of touch points around the home, such as door handles and light switches.
Staff had access to supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and had received training to ensure they used this correctly. All staff were engaged in a regular COVID-19 testing regime; this helped to detect early symptoms of COVID-19, reduce transmission and keep people safe.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
• Information and training in COVID 19, safe infection control procedures and the ‘donning and doffing' of personal protective equipment (PPE) had been provided. Good supplies of PPE were readily available.
• The service was part of the home testing programme. Additional temperature checks were also undertaken enabling the service to respond quickly if someone developed symptoms or had a positive test result.
• Consent to test had been sought from people, where able. Information about the pandemic and current guidance had been provided in an easy read format to help people understand the current arrangements.
• People were encouraged and supported to maintain contact with family and friends through social media, electronic devices, telephone calls and letters. Arrangements for future visits from family members were being explored with the local authority in line with the local risk assessment.
• The home appeared clean with adequate ventilation. Designated housekeeping staff completed all domestic tasks which included the deep cleaning of all areas. This was monitored through the audits and checks in place.
• Risk assessments were carried out to manage and minimise the risks of COVID19 to people, staff and visitors.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.