We carried out a review of the data available to us about Petworth Cottage Nursing Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Petworth Cottage Nursing Home, you can give feedback on this service.
¿ Petworth Cottage Nursing Home is a nursing home that was providing personal and nursing care to 27 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The nursing home is in a converted building arranged over two floors, with a lift and extensive grounds which are accessible to people.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
People’s experience of using this service:
¿ People liked living at the service and told us they were happy. People said staff had time for them.
¿ Staff were kind, compassionate and caring towards people.
¿ Staff were very skilled at identifying and meeting people’s needs at the end of their life, to ensure they experienced a comfortable, dignified and pain free death. Relatives told us how staff had provided exceptional end of life care.
¿ People’s needs were met by appropriately trained staff.
¿ People received care that was responsive to their individual needs.
¿ People enjoyed fresh, home cooked meals. The service had received an award in recognition of the improvements they had made because of their participation in a local nutrition programme.
¿ People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
¿ The new registered manager had a clear understanding of both the strengths of the service in terms of end of life care and the areas that required further work. They had identified that some processes were underdeveloped, and some policies required review. This work was well underway for people.
Rating at last inspection:
¿ At the last inspection the service was rated good (25 August 2016).
Why we inspected:
¿ This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained good.
Follow up:
¿ We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore re-inspect this service within the published timeframe for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
Petworth Cottage Nursing Home provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 32 older people. At the time of our visit there were 28 people living at the home.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals spoke very highly of the home. They told us that it had a strong reputation locally. We found that people received a high standard of care and that staff were continually striving to further improve the care and the service that people received.
People were actively involved in planning their care. Thorough pre-admissions assessments involving people, their families and community professionals ensured that effective care could be provided from the outset. Staff had taken time to get to know people and valued them as individuals. People were encouraged to pursue their independence and to participate in activities that interested them. We observed that people received sensitive, caring and prompt support from staff. On a monthly basis, each person met with their keyworker to discuss their care and make future plans. Staff understood how people’s capacity should be considered and had taken steps to ensure that people’s rights were protected in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
Staff were proactive in monitoring people’s health and worked effectively with other services to ensure that people’s needs were met. Nurses met regularly with community professionals to ensure a coordinated approach in people’s care, to share best practice and to anticipate changes in people’s needs. A community matron told us, “They have good, knowledgeable nurses and they are very caring”.
Staff had expertise in palliative and end of life care. Relatives spoke highly of the care their loved ones had received and of the support staff offered to them. One relative wrote to the provider saying, ‘I would like to thank you all for the care, compassion and sensitivity you showed to my Father’. The service was working towards accreditation under the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) which aims to improve practice and reduce hospital admissions.
People had developed good relationships with staff and had confidence in their skills and abilities. They told us that staff were kind and that they treated them respectfully. Senior staff kept a focus on dignity through monitoring the delivery of care, trialling new initiatives and having regular discussions with staff. There was an established team of staff at the home, which offered continuity of care for people. Staff had received training and were supported by the management through supervision and appraisal. Staff were able to pursue additional training which helped them to improve the care they provided to people.
People felt safe at the home. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and reviewed. Staff understood local safeguarding procedures. They were able to speak about the action they would take if they were concerned that someone was at risk of abuse. People received their medicines safely.
People enjoyed home-cooked food and were able to make suggestions for dishes they would enjoy. A team of volunteers worked on a rota to provide morning and afternoon drinks to people. Many people knew the volunteers from the local community and enjoyed their company. Staff were attentive to people’s needs and supported those who required assistance to eat or drink. People’s weight was monitored and prompt action taken if any concerns were identified.
There was strong leadership within the home. The registered manager and deputy monitored the delivery of care and had a system to monitor and review the quality of the service. Suggestions on improvements to the service were welcomed and people’s feedback encouraged.
We spoke with the registered manager, their deputy and three members of staff who told us they all enjoyed caring for people and worked well as a team. During our observation we saw that staff interacted well with people when they were supporting them. We saw that staff were knowledgeable about people's needs and preferences. We found staff were respectful and maintained people's dignity, privacy and independence. For example we observed staff being patient and respectful, and asking rather than directing.
We were shown examples of person centred care records which were well organised into separate sections. This provided clarity for staff. These had been developed for each individual and documented their wishes and preferences in relation to how their care was provided. A relative's assistance was sought with this where the person was unable to fully contribute themselves.
People told us they like living at the home and that they have been treated well. People said they were treated with dignity and respect.
One person said, 'I'm quite happy and settled here.' Another person said how staff addressed him by his preferred first name. One person said, 'You can't better this place.'
Choice was said to be available in how people spent their time and in the meals provided. One person commented that he/she has been able to watch movies in the lounge late at night. A relative said the home was aware of people's likes and dislikes.
People said their care needs were met and that they received help in a way that reflected their preferences. Staff were said to speak to people and to explain what they were doing when providing personal care.
People told us they liked the food and that an alternative choice was available. A relative said the food was, 'Amazing.'
Staff were described as 'marvellous,' 'kind,' caring, and, 'A nice group of staff.'
People also said they considered the home to have sufficient staff to meet people's needs. Three people said that when they asked for help by using the call point in their room that staff responded immediately.
People said they felt safe at the home.
A relative commented that the home was always clean and there was 'never' an unpleasant odour.
People said they were able to give their views about the home. One person said he had completed several satisfaction surveys. A relative said that the home's management was approachable and felt comfortable raising any concerns. The relative also said that the home kept in contact about any progress of their relative at the home. This relative felt supported by the home. One person described how he/she raised an issue with the manager which was resolved to his/her satisfaction.
We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people. We spent 35 minutes observing people and staff in the home's dining room at the midday meal. People had generally positive experiences. Staff were observed interacting with people, asking them what they would like and supporting them to eat their meal. Staff were polite and courteous. Staff responded promptly to requests made by people.
People told us they were happy with the care they received.
No one that we spoke with was aware of being given a copy of their care plan or having been invited to attend meetings to review their care.
Everyone that we spoke with said they were happy with the staff who worked at the home.