Stanford House

Updated 1 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

This inspector was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Stanford House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Stanford House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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. The provider did not complete the required Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. Please see the Well-led section of the full inspection report for further details. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to 4 people and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 2 professionals who have contact with the service. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager and care staff members. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care plans, a range of medicine administration records (MAR) and 2 staff recruitment files. We viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including audit systems. We spent time observing the care that people received within the home.

Updated 1 July 2023

About the service

Stanford House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to 10 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service.

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

People were not always protected from risks in the environment, such as secured windows or the storage of chemicals. Medicines were not always stored safely, but people received their medicines as prescribed. People’s individual risks were not always regularly reviewed and documented. However, people felt safe at Stanford House and were satisfied with the support they received.

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.

Quality assurance systems were not always effective. Audits monitoring the quality of the service did not highlight the issues identified by our inspection. However, people and relatives felt the service provided a homely, family atmosphere which achieved good outcomes for people.

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 requires improvement (published 23 December 2021) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider was asked to complete 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 not been made and the provider remained in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 21 October 2021. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider was asked to complete an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the governance systems at the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to check what actions had been taken and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe 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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Stanford House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to how people’s safety was managed and how the service was run at this inspection.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.