Woodgrange

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

A range of quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and improve the service, however, these were not always used effectively. Some areas of the kitchen were unclean and water outlets had a build-up of limescale. Care staff supported people to eat in a caring and dignified way but did not always wash or sanitise their hands before moving on to support the next person.

Visitors were welcomed throughout the day and relatives told us staff were really friendly and helpful. An effective safeguarding system was in place to ensure people’s safety and people told us they felt safe. Risks relating to people’s individual health and care needs were assessed, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff supporting people with food and drink had received the appropriate training. Safe recruitment and background checks were in place and we observed there were enough staff to meet the needs of people using the service.

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.

The registered manager and regional director demonstrated they were focused on meeting positive outcomes for people. The provider held regular meetings to keep people informed of developments and changes to the service. Care plans and assessment processes considered people’s individual characteristics. Staff received regular supervision and attended frequent team meetings. Feedback about the registered manager was consistently positive and the provider worked closely with other health and social care professionals to ensure people received consistent and timely care.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 25 January 2020).

Why we inspected

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.

The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of specialised dietary requirements and choking risks. This inspection examined those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Woodgrange is a nursing and care home located in Bourne, providing personal and nursing care to 55 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 64 people across three separate areas in the service. The three separate areas specialise in providing care to people living with dementia, people who require nursing care and who have residential care needs.

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

Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe. Safeguarding concerns had been identified and other agencies had been informed. Risks associated with people’s care had been identified and managed. There were systems in place to monitor and analyse accidents and incidents. People were supported by enough staff. Medicines were managed safely. Measures had been taken to reduce the risk of infection.

People’s needs had been assessed prior to admission to the service. Staff received on-going training and support. People with a range of dietary needs were supported to maintain a well-balanced diet. Staff worked in partnership with other agencies to provide timely care for people. The service design met the needs of people living in the service. People had access to healthcare services. People’s capacity had been assessed.

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.

Staff knew people they were supporting well and interacted positively with people. Staff considered people’s equality. People felt they were treated with dignity and staff were kind.

People had care plans in place which were personal to them. There were several resources available to support people with their communication. People were supported to take part in activities and maintain hobbies. Complaints were handled in line with the organisations complaints policy. People's end of life wishes had been recorded.

There was an open, positive culture in the service. Relatives and staff highly commended the registered manager. People felt the registered manager was approachable and dedicated. There were robust systems in place to monitor quality in the service. Feedback was sought regularly to improve care provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 July 2017).

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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

On the day of our inspection staff interacted well with people. People and their relatives told us that they felt safe and well cared for. Staff knew how to keep people safe. The provider had systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Medicines were administered and managed safely.

We found that people’s health care needs were assessed and care planned and delivered to meet those needs. People had access to healthcare professionals such as the district nurse and GP and also specialist professionals. People had their nutritional needs assessed and were supported with their meals to keep them healthy. Where people had specialist dietary needs appropriate arrangements were put in place to support them to manage these.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and staff responded in a timely and appropriate manner to people. Staff were provided with training on a variety of subjects to ensure that they had the skills to meet people’s needs. The provider had a training plan in place and staff had received supervision.

Staff felt able to raise concerns and issues with management. Relatives and people who lived at the service were aware of the process for raising concerns and were confident that they would be listened to. Regular audits were carried out and action plans put in place to address any issues which were identified.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and investigated. The provider had informed us of notifications. Notifications are events which have happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We noted members of staff spoke appropriately to people in a friendly manner. One person said, 'They look after us very well.' Another person told us, 'I feel very safe here, the staff are very kind.'

The chef told us how they would meet with each person on admission to the home to find out about their eating preferences. We also saw minutes from monthly nutrition meetings between the chef and the team leaders from each unit.

Following lunch, the people commented on quality of the meal. One person said, 'That lunch was very good.'

We looked around the home and observed a high overall standard of cleanliness. We saw people's rooms were clean and communal areas were clean and tidy. The home was free from mal odour.

In each of the communal lounges we saw at least three members of care staff interacting and communicating with people. One person who lived at the home told us,' The staff are first class; they are always around when you need them. They are always talking to you too.'

We asked people at the home if they were able to make complaints and how these were managed. One person gave us the names of the people they would approach with complaints. Another person said they had no need to complain because they were happy with the care they received.

We found that people were cared for in a clean, well presented home. People's care was based about their individual needs. The staff provided care in a pleasant and professional manner. One person living at the home said, 'I can't say anything negative about the staff, they're all marvellous.'

We saw staff had time to interact with people. The home has a full-time activities coordinator who organised a wide range of activities. On the day we visited we saw a group word game in the morning and a conker competition in the afternoon.

We saw the trained chef provided a choice of hot and cold foods at each mealtime and snacks throughout the day.