Greatwood House

Updated 9 December 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

The inspection team consisted of 3 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

Greatwood House 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. Greatwood House 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

The first day of the inspection was unannounced. The second day of the inspection was announced.

What we did before the inspection

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 asked the local authority for feedback. We reviewed the information the provider had sent us since registering with CQC. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed 5 care plans, medication administration records and records related to the running of the service. We spoke to 8 staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, area manager, care assistants and domestic assistants. We spoke to 5 people living at the service and 3 visitors. We also spoke to a professional who works closely with the service. 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.

Updated 9 December 2023

About the service

Greatwood House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to people with dementia, older people and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 52 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

People told us they felt safe. The service had appropriate risk assessments in place to mitigate risks. Appropriate health and safety checks were taking place. Staff managed medicines well and people received their medication when needed. The home appeared clean throughout. Staff recruitment did not always include their references from their last employer in health and social care. We have made a recommendation about this.

Staff had completed training to be able to support people with their needs. Staff supported and encouraged people to maintain a balanced diet. Staff supported people to access additional support from health care professionals. There was limited dementia friendly signage in place around the home. The registered manager told us were consulting with an expert around improving this.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect. People felt listened to and their choices were respected. Staff supported people to maintain their independence especially around mobility and eating and drinking. People were not consistently recorded as being involved in reviews of their care plan.

Care plans were personalised to people’s needs however some specific care plans did not contain sufficient specific detail to support people. When we spoke to staff they knew how to support people. We have made a recommendation about this. There was a variety of activities available for people to access within the home and within the wider community. Complaints were responded to appropriately.

The service was well-managed. People told us they felt able to raise any concerns with the registered manager. Regular staff and residents’ meetings were taking place at the service. The management team took action in response to staff concerns.

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.

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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 31 July 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow Up

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