We carried out a review of the data available to us about Whitchurch House 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 Whitchurch House, you can give feedback on 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.
The inspection took place on 24 May 2016 and was unannounced.
There were three registered managers at this home, two of whom were present on the day of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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 were encouraged to maintain their freedom and independence, whilst being kept safe from avoidable harm and abuse. People received their medicines as prescribed and were supported in taking them.
People were supported by staff who knew how to meet their needs and when to refer to other healthcare professionals. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and their individual dietary needs and preferences were catered for. People were provided with choices in how they were cared for. Staff received on-going training and support to ensure they were supporting people effectively.
People were involved in decisions about their care. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff, and staff respected people's right to privacy.
People's changing health and well-being needs were responded to. Staff knew people's preferences and these were respected. People knew how to make a complaint, and attended regular meetings where they could voice their opinions. People enjoyed the group activities provided, but felt they could not always pursue their individual hobbies and interests.
People and their relatives were involved in the running of the home and their views were sought and acted upon. There was regular and open communication between the provider, staff, relatives and health professionals. Staff were supported in their roles and worked in an environment which supported continual learning and development.
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which looks at the overall quality of the service.
This inspection was carried out on 11 August 2014 and was unannounced, which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming. At our last inspection in July 2013 we found that there were breaches of legal requirements in staff training and assessing and monitoring the service people received. Following the inspection the provider sent us an action plan to tell us the improvements they were going to make. During this inspection we saw that the provider had made improvements so that legal requirements had been met.
Whitchurch House is a care home that provides personal care and support for up to 29 people. At the time of our inspection 24 people lived at the home. A registered manager was employed at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
People and their relatives told us they were happy with the services provided. They felt staff understood their needs and they felt safe. Staff numbers were assessed and planned for so that people received the right care at the right time to meet their needs and promoted their safety.
Staff knew how to support people when specific decisions needed to be made to meet their needs in their best interests as required by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We saw people were given choices about their care and support. This enabled people to be involved in the decisions about how they would like their care and support delivered.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. There were policies and procedures in relation to the DoLS and staff training was planned to ensure people were protected by knowledgeable staff. During our inspection we did not see any care that deprived anyone of their freedoms and liberties.
Care plans and risk assessments were in place for people who lived at the home. Staff showed a good knowledge of people’s needs and how to meet these. The care and support we observed matched the information in people’s plans and the training staff had received was put into practice to meet people’s nutritional needs effectively.
We observed people were treated with dignity and respect. People told us that staff looked after them well and were kind. It was evident to us from our observations that staff knew what mattered to people, were polite and sought consent before providing care and support.
People were supported to access healthcare services to maintain and promote their health and well-being. People were supported in a wide range of interests and hobbies which included access to community events.
People and relatives told us they found management team approachable and told us they would raise any complaints or concerns should they need to.
There were management systems in place to monitor the quality of the service people received. There was evidence that learning from incidents and investigations took place and changes were put in place to improve the service people received. This meant that the provider and the registered manager was continually looking at how they could provide better care for people.
People told us they were happy with the care and support they received from the staff. Staff had a good knowledge of each person's individual needs and wishes. They were able to describe clearly the care and support that each person needed.
Care plans had been reviewed monthly and updated as people's needs changed. Care plans did not always contain full information about people's care needs.
Staff did not receive sufficient training. This might mean that their knowledge and skills would not be developed or kept up to date.
The provider was not monitoring the quality of the service effectively.
People spoke highly of the staff, and comments included 'I do like the way they do things here: they're so cheerful' and 'there's always somebody on hand'. We saw that people appeared well cared for. Their nails and hair were neat and clean. People were wearing clean clothing and suitable footwear. We saw that staff were respectful in the way that they supported and assisted people. People told us that they enjoyed the relaxed and informal atmosphere of the home and described it as 'a friendly place' and 'like being in your own home'.
People told us that they felt safe at the home. Staff knew how to report any concerns about people's safety.
Staff did not always receive the training they needed to carry out their roles. Records were stored securely and staff knew where to find relevant information. Care plans were reviewed regularly and were updated as people's needs changed.