Tennyson Grange

Tennyson Grange is a care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 83 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 55 people using the service.

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

People were safe at Tennyson Grange. Staff had been trained to safeguard people from abuse, understood identified risks to people’s safety and wellbeing and knew what action to take, to help keep people safe. There were enough suitably skilled and experienced staff to support people and meet their needs. The provider carried out recruitment and criminal records checks on new staff to make sure they were suitable to support people. New staff were actively being recruited to work at the service to help improve the consistency of support people received.

People were involved in planning their care and could state their choices for how this was provided. People’s records reflected their needs and preferences and staff delivered care and support in line with people’s wishes. Staff knew people well and understood how their needs should be met. They were provided relevant training to help them meet people’s needs. Staff were well supported and encouraged to learn and improve in their role and to put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did.

Staff were kind, caring and treated people well. They respected people’s right to privacy and to be treated with dignity. People were encouraged to be as independent as they could be with daily living tasks. 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.

Medicines were managed safely. People were supported to take their medicines in a timely and appropriate way. Staff helped people to stay healthy and well. They supported people to manage their healthcare and medical conditions and made sure people could access support from healthcare professionals when needed. Staff encouraged people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to maintain a healthy diet. Staff worked proactively with healthcare professionals involved in people’s care and acted on their recommendations to deliver care and support that met people’s needs.

People were supported to undertake a wide range of activities and interests at the service. Relatives and friends were free to visit people if they wished without any unnecessary restrictions. The home had been designed and decorated to meet people’s needs. People had a choice of comfortable spaces to spend time in at the service. The home was clean and hygienic. Staff followed current infection control and hygiene practice to reduce the risk of infections. Visitors to the service were given information to help them reduce the risk of catching and spreading infection. Health and safety checks of the premises and equipment were carried out at regular intervals to make sure they were safe.

The service was managed well. The registered manager and senior staff team were experienced and had a clear understanding of how people’s needs should be met. They undertook checks at regular intervals, to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the service. The provider undertook their own checks of the service at regular intervals to make sure the service was meeting required standards.

There were systems in place to obtain feedback from people, staff and others about how the service could be improved. Accidents, incidents and complaints were fully investigated and people involved and informed of the outcome.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 3 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

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.

At the time of this inspection there were positive cases of COVID-19 at the service. The provider had responded immediately and appropriately to put plans in place to ensure the safety of people and staff. The provider had been open and transparent with relatives about the positive cases and supported relatives in making decisions about visiting their family members. The provider made sure visits were undertaken in a safe way. Relatives not able to visit, kept in touch with people through video and telephone calls.

Visitors were screened for symptoms of infection and given information about the safety procedures to follow at the service. People and staff were tested for COVID-19 at appropriate intervals. The service made sure staff and visiting professionals had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The provider had been able to maintain staffing levels to make sure people experienced the same level of service.

Staff had been trained in COVID-19, infection prevention and control (IPC) and in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). There were designated areas for donning and doffing of PPE and handwashing facilities were accessible to people, staff and visitors. Staff followed current guidance and practice throughout our visit.

The environment was clean and hygienic. Enhanced cleaning took place throughout the environment on a daily basis. Communal spaces were used creatively to ensure people could continue to interact with each other, staff and visitors in a safe way.

The provider undertook regular audits to make sure staff complied with current guidance and practice. The provider’s IPC policy and plans for managing an outbreak were in line with current guidance.