Patcham Nursing Home

Updated 18 December 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

The inspection team consisted of 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

Patcham Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the provider, registered manager, area manager, care workers, nurses, the activities coordinator, and the chef. We spoke to a visiting healthcare professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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 evidence found. We looked at training data and survey results.

Updated 18 December 2019

About the service

Patcham Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 24 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people. Patcham Nursing Home is comprised of two floors, with a lounge, a conservatory and a dining area. There is a garden to the front of the home.

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

We saw safe staffing levels on the day of the inspection. However, we received mixed feedback from people and staff about staffing levels. Staff and people told us that mornings were busy and needed more staff to support people with getting ready for the day. People were kept safe from the risk of abuse by well trained staff. Infection risks at the home were minimised by the use of cleaners and good hygiene techniques by staff.

Staff told us they would like more supervision time, and more face to face training although they felt training was adequate. People felt the staff were well trained and that staff were caring. A person told us, “I have only been here two weeks and I feel surrounded by good people who want to keep me safe and well.” The home was clean and tidy and people were able to access the lounge, dining room and conservatory as they wished. Food was provided by a trained chef and people said they enjoyed the meals.

Staff knew people well and treated them kindly. People were supported by staff to be involved in decisions about their care and changes in the home. People had access to healthcare outside the home if they needed it and staff could accompany people to appointments. People were treated with dignity by staff that understood the importance of people retaining their independence and privacy wherever possible.

People had person centred care. Staff knew people and what they preferred to do during the day. The activities coordinator was undergoing extra training to better understand dementia and to expand the activities on offer at the home. People were able to feedback to the registered manager if they had comments about the service and the service had a clear complaints policy.

The service had a new registered manager who was passionate about the care of older people. Staff said that the new management had improved the morale at the home and created better teamwork. People told us they had noticed a change in the attitudes of staff and that staff were happier and helped each other with tasks. People and relatives were more involved in changes to the service, regular surveys enabled the registered manager and the provider to focus change on the areas that mattered to people.

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.

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 4 October 2018) and there was a breach of Regulation 17(2)(e) HSCA RA Regulations 2014 Good governance. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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.