Heath Cottage

Updated 3 August 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 an 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

Heath Cottage is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced.

Inspection activity was carried out between 10 and 18 June 2021. We visited the home on 14 June 2021. Further inspection activity was completed via telephone and by email, including speaking with people living at the home, relatives and reviewing additional evidence and information sent to us by the service.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who worked with the service, including Salford local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, managing director and two care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and a selection of medication administration records (MAR). We also looked at two staff files to check staff were recruited safely. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also taken into account as part of the inspection.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the service to validate evidence found following our site visit.

Updated 3 August 2021

Heath Cottage is a residential care home located in the Salford area of Greater Manchester and is operated by Heath Cottage Care Home Ltd. The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide care for up to 28 people. At the time of our inspection, there were 21 people living at the home.

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

People living at the home and their relatives told us they felt Heath Cottage was a safe place to live. Safeguarding allegations were reported to the local authority for further investigation, medicines were managed safely and we observed people being supported to maintain good mobility.

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. Staff received the necessary induction, training and supervision to support them in their roles. People told us they liked the food provided at the home and the home had good links with other health care professionals such as dieticians and the speech and language therapy (SALT) team. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications were submitted to the local authority as required.

Auditing and governance systems were in place at both provider and managerial level. Staff meetings took place which enable staff to discuss their work to drive improvements. Staff said they enjoyed their work and spoke of a positive culture 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 this service was requires improvement (published August 2019) and the provider was in breach of regulations relating to safe care and treatment, need for consent and good governance. At this inspection, enough improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of the regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service in July 2019. 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 improve.

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, effective, and well-led which contain those requirements.

Prior to this inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions (responsive and caring). We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control (IPC) measures under the Safe key question. We look at this at all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has changed to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Heath Cottage on our website at www.cqc.org.uk. You can see what action we have asked the service to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.