Background to this inspection
Updated
30 September 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
The inspection was carried out by three inspectors.
Service and service type
Meadowfields 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 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.
What we did before the 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 also sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
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 four people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 13 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, activities staff and dining room assistants.
We reviewed a range of records. This included eight 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.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, policies, procedures and quality assurance records.
Updated
30 September 2021
About the service
Meadowfields Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 62 people at the time of the inspection, some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 65 people.
Meadowfields Care Home accommodates people over two floors, each of which has separate adapted facilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe. They were supported by trained staff who knew how to protect them from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people were assessed and mitigated, including risks associated with the environment. There were enough staff to support people safely and people got their medicines as prescribed. The environment was clean, and we were assured that staff followed safe infection control practices.
The registered manager was approachable and supportive. There was a positive atmosphere within the home where staff knew people well and supported them to achieve the best outcomes. The provider and registered manager had good oversight about the risks and quality of the services provided and had a commitment to continuous learning.
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 this service was good (published 2 July 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a specific incident. Following which a person using the service sustained a serious injury. This incident is subject to a criminal investigation. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident.
The information CQC received about the incident indicated concerns about the management of falls from height. This inspection examined those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of ongoing harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
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.
We received concerns in relation to the management of the service and the way in which people’s needs were met. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. 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.
The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Meadowfields Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
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.