Heywood Court Care Home

Updated 7 July 2022

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

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience on the first day and one inspector on the second 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.

Service and service type

Heywood Court Care Home 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. Heywood Court Care Home 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.

What we did before inspection

The provider was not asked to complete 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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people living at the home and 4 relatives. We also spoke with 9 members of staff including; the registered manager, regional managers, administration manager, catering manager, housekeeper, well-being lead and care staff. We reviewed a range of records, including care records, records relating to medicines, staff recruitment, training and supervision, building maintenance, cleaning and equipment checks, accident and incidents and safeguarding logs and policies and procedures for infection control. Also, a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 7 July 2022

About the service

Heywood Court Care Home is a residential care home providing personal to up to 45 people. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people using the service.

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

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.

Risks to people and staff were well managed. All required health and safety checks were taking place. There were safe systems of staff recruitment and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were stored and administered safely. The risks associated with COVID-19 were well managed.

People’s needs were assessed, clear support plans and risk assessments were in place to guide staff. Staff received the induction, training and support they needed to carry out their roles effectively. People’s food likes, dislikes and preferences were respected. The home was clean and there were a variety of communal rooms available to enable people to spend time with others but in smaller groups. Staff worked closely with other agencies to ensure people's needs were met.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect. Throughout the inspection we observed staff to have a friendly, caring and compassionate approach. Staff knew people well and had empathy and fondness for the people who lived at the home. They spoke respectfully to people and gained consent before providing support.

There were regular meetings for people who used the service to express their views and suggest activities and changes within the home. Activities were taking place but were not yet at pre COVID-19 pandemic levels of choices or community involvement. Plans were in place to increase the range of activities on offer. The service was following the Accessible Information Standard. There was an appropriate system in place to manage complaints.

The registered manager and provider had good oversight of the service. There was a range of quality monitoring, auditing and oversight. Audits and spot checks were thorough, and records demonstrated any issues identified were addressed. All staff spoke positively about the registered manager, the way the service was run, and the quality of the care and support people received. Staff felt supported and valued and were positive about the changes with the new provider.

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 has changed provider since our last inspection. It was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection under the new provider.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 15 June 2019.

Why we inspected

This is the first inspection of this service under a newly registered provider.

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 under the previous provider, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Heywood Court Care Home 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.