Background to this inspection
Updated
25 September 2019
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.
Inspection team
The inspection team included one Inspector.
Service and service type
Sandiway Manor is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced on the first day and announced on the second.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We checked to see if Healthwatch had visited the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. No visit of Sandiway Manor had yet been undertaken.
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.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, assistant manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. 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 reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
25 September 2019
About the service
Sandiway Manor is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 26 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 29 people and accommodation is provided in one adapted building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Improvements in the quality of care had been made since our last inspection. People were fully protected from harm and the risks they faced from malnutrition had been reduced following better monitoring of weights and more attentive care practice. The governance of the service had improved with a range of effective audits being used to identify shortcomings in a timely manner and actioned them as soon as possible. Improvements had also been made in providing a range of suitable activities to minimise the risk of social isolation.
These improvements were reflected in comments made by people who used the service. They told us “I do feel safe living here, they really do look after me” and “[staff] always make sure I am safe”. They told us “food is really good” and “we always get a choice and we are well fed”. People were clear that there was “always plenty to do” during the day and “there is always some activity we can join in”.
Relatives echoed these views and were positive about the management of the service. They told us “things have really improved here and the service is very well managed now” and “we are so pleased with the service [name] is happy here and we have no concerns”.
People received safe care. Equipment within the environment was regularly checked to ensure it was safe and the premises were clean, hygienic and well maintained. Medication was robustly managed with people telling us “I always get my medication” and “they never miss me out”.
Sufficient staff were available to meet people’s needs and our observations noted that there was always a member of staff to attend to people when they were needed.
Lessons had been learned from the shortcomings at the last inspection with all breaches being identified and issues such as recruitment being more robust.
Staff now received more consistent training. This was echoed by relatives who considered staff to be “knowledgeable” as well as by staff comments and training records.
Assessments captured the main needs of people and the registered manager had sought to offer people the opportunity to stay within the home during the day so that their views could be gained.
People and their relatives consistently stated that staff were “kind and attentive” and “respectful” and this was reflected in our observations of interactions between staff and people. Care was taken to ensure that people could express their views, maintain their independence and ensure sensitive information remained confidential.
Care plans were regularly evaluated and up to date. They were person-centred outlining the main preferences of people and in some instances included handwritten entries from people about how they wished to live their lives. Information was provided to people in an appropriate format.
Complaints were thoroughly investigated with outcomes always being relayed back to people raising concerns.
Governance of the service had improved. Staff, people and relatives spoke about how the management of the service had improved of late and how the registered manager had been a key part in creating a person-centred and positive environment. There was an improved oversight of all aspects of the quality of care within the service and prompt action taken when needed.
The registered manager was keen to develop the service further through increased community links and was fully aware of their responsibilities as a registered person.
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 and update: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18th January 2019) and there were two breaches of regulation. 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.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement 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 Sandiway Manor on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.