Mountfield House Care Home

Updated 23 September 2022

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

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Mountfield House Care Home 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. Mountfield House Care Home 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. The registered manager is also the provider.

Notice of inspection

The 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 and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who lived at the home, the provider/registered manager and four members of staff which included a cook, senior care staff and care staff. We looked at four care plans and all available medication administration records. We looked at records relating to health and safety and the management of the home.

Updated 23 September 2022

About the service

Mountfield House Care Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care to a maximum of 14 people over the age of 65 years in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.

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

People were not always protected from environmental risks because there were no effective systems in place to identify, monitor or mitigate risks. We were mostly assured the provider was meeting key principles for infection prevention and control at the service, including for COVID-19. However, some areas required attention to ensure cleaning could be carried out effectively. The provider's quality assurance procedures had not been effective in identifying the shortfalls we identified at the inspection.

People received their medicines when they needed them. People felt safe living at the home and with the staff who supported them. Staff had been trained to recognise and report any signs of abuse. The provider’s staff recruitment procedures helped to protect people from harm. Risks associated with people’s care were assessed and there were plans in place to mitigate risks.

The provider regularly sought the views of people, relatives and staff. Staff morale was good, and staff told us they felt well supported. Staff received the supervision and support needed to carry out their role effectively. The provider worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure good outcomes for people. The provider was aware of their legal requirement and of their responsibility to be open an honest when things go wrong.

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

The last rating for this service was good (published 10 March 2020).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of risks relating to the care people received. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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 breaches in relation to safety and good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

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

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.