Archived: Westoe Grange Care Home

Updated 1 July 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 31 May and 1 June 2016 and was unannounced. This means the provider did not know we would be visiting. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

We reviewed all of the information we held about Westoe Grange prior to the inspection including any statutory notifications that the provider had sent us and any safeguarding information we had received. Notifications are made by providers in line with their registration obligations under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. They are records of incidents that have occurred within the service or other matters that the provider is legally obliged to inform us of.

We contacted the local authority contract monitoring team and safeguarding adult’s team, to obtain their feedback about the service. We also asked external health and social care professionals for their experiences of the service. We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to the inspection. The PIR is a form that asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. All of this information informed our planning of the inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with seven people who lived at Westoe Grange. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, the activities coordinator and catering staff, who were all on duty during the inspection. We also spoke with two relatives of people who used the service, who were visiting at the time. We spoke with two paramedics who were visiting the service at the time to escort a person for a non-emergency hospital admission.

We spent time observing care delivery at various times throughout the day, including the lunchtime and teatime experience in the dining room. We carried out some observations using 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 carried out an inspection of the treatment room where the medicines were kept and looked at the kitchen and food preparation areas. We also observed people engaging with activities.

We examined four people’s individual care records in depth. We also looked at other elements of people’s care, including generic risk assessments and medicine administration records.

We looked at four staff files, including a mix of staff who carried out care and non-care related roles. Additionally, we examined a range of other management records which related to the quality and safety of the service.

Updated 1 July 2016

Westoe Grange is a purpose built two storey residential care home which provides care and support for up to 40 older people. 35 people were using the service at the time of inspection.

This inspection took place on 31 May and 1 June 2016 and was unannounced. We last inspected this service in August 2014, at which time we found them to be meeting all of the regulations that we inspected.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe living at Westoe Grange. Staff understood their responsibilities with regards to protecting people from harm and improper treatment. Records showed there were enough staff employed at the service and staff confirmed this. People told us the staff responded to them promptly and medicines were given on time.

Policies and procedures were in place to ensure the smooth running of the service. Care needs were thoroughly assessed and person-centred care plans were drafted. Risk assessments were regularly reviewed and preventative methods were recorded to reduce the likelihood of a repeat event.

Accidents and incidents were recorded, investigated, analysed and monitored for trends. Action plans were in place to address shortfalls and drive improvements through the service. The manager recorded all incidents and escalated them to external bodies such as the local authority and CQC as necessary.

Checks on the safety of the home were carried out regularly by on-site maintenance staff as well as by external professionals where necessary. Personal emergency evacuation plans were in place.

Medicines were managed in line with safe working practices. They were administered safely and hygienically and medicine administration records were maintained and up to date.

The manager and staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and their own responsibilities. Staff worked in people’s best interests and we saw these were documented in line with MCA principals.

Staff supported people to maintain a healthy, well balanced diet. People told us the food was lovely and they enjoyed a variety of meals. The chef catered for people’s likes and dislikes.

Staff received an induction upon commencement of their employment and they were trained in topics specific to their role. Formal supervision and appraisals were carried out routinely.

Staff interacted well with people and demonstrated genuine, kind and caring attitudes. We saw staff offered people choices and encouraged them to make decisions about aspects of daily life. People were respected by staff and their privacy and dignity was maintained.

People engaged in a variety of organised activities. They were supported by staff to maintain links with their family and the community by encouraging visitors into the home without restrictions. Group activities and one to one sessions took place and the service sometimes hired a minibus to facilitate day trips.

People and their relatives knew how to complain and told us they would feel confident to approach the staff or manager if something was wrong. Resident and relative meetings were held and a quarterly survey was used to gather feedback and opinions about the home and the service.

The manager held a comprehensive set of records, audits and action plans which demonstrated they monitored the quality and safety of the service. The provider had oversight of the service.

Staff told us they were happy to work for the provider and enjoyed a good relationship with the people who lived at Westoe Grange.