About the service Woodview House Nursing Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care and support for up to 24 older people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service. Woodview House Nursing home accommodates up to 24 people on one floor across three separate wings.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
On arrival at the inspection we were informed the registered manager had very recently resigned. There were a team of managers in place to support the service during this period whilst the role was advertised.
Systems and processes in place did not provide effective oversight of the service and had failed to identify a number of concerns that came to light during the inspection.
The introduction of an electronic recording system for medication and care records was not robust which meant the provider could not be confident staff were provided with all the information they required in order to meet people’s care needs effectively and safely.
Medication audits had failed to identify a number of areas for improvement. The completion of charts that monitored people’s care needs was not robust. Accidents and incidents were reported and acted on appropriately, but not analysed for any lessons to be learnt.
Staff felt supported in their role but had not had their competencies checked and had not received supervision.
People felt safe and were supported by a consistent group of staff who knew them well. Where safeguarding concerns had been raised, appropriate actions were taken.
Staff treated people with kindness and respected their dignity when supporting them.
Staff were aware of the latest government guidance regarding infection prevention control. A recent infection control audit had identified a number of areas for improvement and an action plan was in place to address these.
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 were supported to take part in activities that were of interest to them and work was ongoing to collect more information from people regarding how they wished to spend their time.
Staff had been supported and kept informed of changes in management. Action was underway to address the concerns raised during the inspection.
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 the service was good, published 13 November 2019.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. During this review, CQC were made aware of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of medicines and CQC examined those risks.
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 see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report. During and following the inspection, the provider took action to mitigate the risks identified.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Woodview House Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified three breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, staffing and good governance.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.