Whitchurch House

Updated 5 January 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: One inspector carried out the inspection. An expert by experience supported the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience had expertise in dementia care.

Service and service type: Whitchurch House is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had two managers 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.

Notice of inspection: This inspection was unannounced.

What we did when preparing for and carrying out this inspection: We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse, and we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with 11 people who used the service and 10 relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. In addition, we spoke with a visiting health professional during the inspection.

We spoke with nine members of staff including the two registered managers, the activities co-ordinator, the chef, a cleaner a laundry assistant and care workers.

Updated 5 January 2019

What life is like for people using this service:

• People were positive about living at Whitchurch House and we found they were cared for by compassionate and kind staff.

• Relatives highlighted their family members were treated with respect, and people’s independence was recognised.

• Staff used people’s preferred ways of communicating, so people would be involved in daily life at the home as much as they wished.

• People were empowered to make their own choices about the care they wanted. People could choose from a range of activities which were offered to them, and told us they enjoyed these.

• People had good access to healthcare. Staff gave us examples of how the relationships developed with other health and social care professionals had led to improved health and well-being outcomes for people living at the home.

• The environment was safe and there was enough staff to care for people. People told us they felt safe living at Whitchurch House.

• Staff knew how to care for people. Staff used their skills and the resources and equipment provided so the risk of accidental harm or infections was reduced. People were supported to have the medicines they needed to remain well and as prescribed. Some people chose to manage their medicines independently.

• The registered managers and staff worked together and focused on meeting the needs of the people living at the home. People were encouraged to make any suggestions for improving the service.

• The registered managers and staff reflected on their practice and strove to drive through improvements in people’s care, so people continued to enjoy living at Whitchurch House.

• We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; More information is available in the full report

Rating at last inspection: Good. The last report for Whitchurch house was published on 28 June 2016.

About the service: Whitchurch House is a residential care home, providing personal care and accommodation to people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection 23 people were living at the home.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.