We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Wharf Care Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Wharf Care Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
The Wharf Care Centre is a care home providing accommodation, personal and nursing care and treatment of disease, disorder or injury to up to 67 people. The service provides support to older and younger people who may live with dementia, physical disability, sensory or mental health support needs. At the time of our inspection there were 49 people using the service.
The Wharf Care Centre accommodates people in one adapted building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People’s risks had been assessed and staff were provided with the information they required to promote people’s safety. Staff understood what actions to take if they had any concerns for people’s well-being. Where staff had not been available to undertake their planned shifts the manager and provider’s representative had taken appropriate action to address this. Checks were undertaken on the suitability of staff before they commenced employment.
Staff were not allowed to administer people’s medicines until they were trained to do this. The manager and provider’s representative planned to introduce additional checks to ensure people received their medicines at the times they required them. Staff took action to reduce the likelihood of the spread of infections. Incidents, accidents and complaints were reviewed, and learning was taken from these.
People’s needs and preferences were assessed, and relatives were consulted as part of this process. Relatives gave us examples of how staff used their skills to support their family members to maintain their physical health and mental well-being. Systems were in place to support people to have the meals they required safely.
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.
People’s told us they valued the relationships they had built with the staff caring for them and found staff to be kind and considerate. Staff gave us examples showing how they promoted people’s independence, dignity and involved them and their relatives in decisions about their care. The manager and provider’s representative planned to review window treatments to further enhance people’s privacy.
People’s risk assessments and care plans provided staff with the guidance they needed to provide personalised care to people and were regularly reviewed.
People were supported to do interesting things which they enjoyed. The manager and provider’s representative were in the process of recruiting new staff to increase the breadth of interesting things for people to access. Systems were in place to manage and take learning from complaints and concerns received. Relatives were complimentary about the care provided to people at the end of their lives.
Relatives and staff told us the culture at the home was open and focused on the needs of the people living at the home. The registered manager and provider undertook checks on the quality and safety of the care provided and planned to develop these further.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for the service was good, published on 25 November 2020.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety when eating and staffing levels at the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and effective 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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Wharf Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
We found the following examples of good practice.
The designated area could care for people safely who had tested positive for Covid-19 in hospital and needed to transfer to a care home. People could access the designated area via a separate lift on the outside of the building. A stair well entrance for staff was separate to the main entrance and the other floors of the home.
A specific cohort of staff trained in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use and infection control procedures was allocated to the designated area.
PPE stations had been placed at key points through the designated area including a station outside every bedroom. All bedrooms had ensuite bathrooms with automatic lighting which reduced the number of light switch touch points in the setting.
Visitors were not allowed entry to the designated care setting. People were being supported to maintain contact with their loved ones via video and telephone calls.
We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
The Wharf Care Centre is a care home registered to provide personal and nursing care to for up to 67 people. At the time of the inspection the home was providing personal care to 40 people. The home comprises of a newly built three story building. The third floor was not in use at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe with staff who knew their needs and understood how to keep them safe. The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. Risks to people’s health were documented in care plans and were reviewed regularly. Information was shared at the start of every shift to ensure staff had the necessary information about any changes in people’s needs. People were supported by a sufficient number of staff and were able to access support promptly. Recruitment processes included checks to ensure potential employees were of suitable character to work at the home. Accidents and incidents at the home were reviewed to identify any trends and people’s care was reviewed so that it continued to meet their needs.
People felt involved and central to the planning of their care. When changes were needed, these included people’s preferences. People were supported to engage in activities they liked and wanted to participate in. The registered provider had a complaints process to review and respond to complaints. People’s end of life wishes were understood by staff and included in their care plans for staff to refer to.
People and staff felt the home was managed well and they were involved in providing feedback to the registered manager to further improve standards. The registered manager understood their responsibilities and felt supported by the registered provider. The registered provider completed regular checks of the quality of care provided.
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 19 September 2019 and there was a breach 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
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 16 July 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.
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, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.
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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. 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 The Wharf Care Centre 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.