Archived: Grove Hill Care Home

Updated 19 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Grove Hill Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is situated in Highworth near Swindon and the accommodation is arranged over three floors.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager is also the owner of the service. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager was not present during our inspection. We were assisted by the assistant manager and we spoke to the registered manager via phone the day after inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed notifications received from the registered provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about in law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives of other people about their experience of the care provided. We observed how people were being cared for and supported. We spoke with the assistant manager and three carers. We reviewed a range of records. These included care records for five people and multiple medication records. We looked at four 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 provider to validate the evidence found. We looked at training health and safety records and we spoke to the registered manager to seek further clarification.

Updated 19 September 2019

About the service

Grove Hill Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to people aged 65 and over. The service can support up to 27 people and at the time of the inspection care was delivered to 21 people.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt the service was safe. The provider had effective systems to ensure people who used the service were safe from avoidable harm. Where there were risks to people, these had been assessed and relevant management plans included clear guidelines to help reduce the risks. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Lessons were learned when things went wrong. The provider had processes for recording and investigating incidents and accidents. Appropriate recruitment checks were carried out before staff started working for the service.

People were supported by staff who were suitably trained, supervised and appraised. Staff worked closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure that people received the right type of support. People's nutritional and healthcare needs were met and we saw that staff took appropriate action where any nutrition-related issues were identified.

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 told us staff were kind and caring. People said they felt well-treated by staff and they were involved in their care. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and their privacy was respected.

Care plans were detailed and provided guidance for staff to support people with their care and support needs. These records were maintained and updated as required. People felt able to raise any concerns and make complaints, and these were immediately addressed by the registered manager.

The registered manager was committed to providing high-quality and person-centred care. They were responsive to feedback and used audits to continually monitor and improve the service. Staff praised the communication flow throughout the service, the leadership and the support they received.

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 good (published 7 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.