Archived: Greenhive House

Greenhive House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 48 adults. At the time of the inspection 37 people were living at the service, including older people, people with physical health conditions and people living with dementia.

Greenhive House accommodates people in one building across three units, with each person having their own bedroom and en-suite bathroom. There were also communal living and dining rooms, a main kitchen, smaller kitchenettes on each unit and access to a secure garden.

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

People and their relatives praised the kind and compassionate attitude of the staff team and how they were treated with respect. One relative said, “I can’t fault them. They are treated so well, staff are amazing. They are very attentive, engaging and never ignored.”

We observed a range of positive interactions between people and the staff team throughout the inspection, with staff responding appropriately and in a timely manner to changes in people’s needs. There was a warm and homely environment, with people relaxed in the presence of staff.

People and their relatives told us they had been well supported throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the provider worked in line with current guidelines to support safe visiting. One relative said, “The home is clean, staff always wear their masks and keep their distance. You can see they are very aware of the guidelines.”

Staff had a good understanding of how they needed to support people to help to keep them safe.

People's care records were clear about the level of risk or what actions were required to reduce any risks to their safety.

People were supported to access healthcare services and had support and input from a range of health and social care professionals if their needs changed. A health and social care professional commented positively about the care and support people received and felt staff were responsive to their changing needs.

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.

People and their relatives were positive about the management of the service and the management team had a visible presence across the home. People were cared for by a motivated staff team who felt valued and supported to carry out their duties.

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 15 September 2017)

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service. If we receive any concerning information we may return to inspect.

We last inspected this service on 16 and 17 July 2014. At that time the service met all the regulations we inspected. The overall rating was Outstanding.

There was a registered manager in post. Since the last inspection, the registered manager of the service had changed because they had left the service. 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 had their medicines as prescribed. Records used in the management of medicines were accurate and staff had completed them as required. However, we raised concerns with the registered manager about the storage of people's medicines.

Staff had accesses to personal protective equipment throughout the service. This allowed staff to follow the registered provider’s infection control policy and reduce the risk of infection. We did smell an malodour on the first and ground floors which we brought to the attention of the registered manager.

People had enough staff available to support them with their care and support needs. People told us that there were enough staff to speak with and help them when they needed. However we observed staff appeared to struggle during the lunch period to support people who needed help with having their meal.

Staff protected people using safeguarding guidance the registered provider had embedded in the service. Staff knew what the signs of abuse were and the action to take to alert the registered manager or local authority of an allegation of abuse.

Staff identified and had an awareness of risks to people’s health and well being. Staff put risk management plans in place to reduce the risks occurring and to keep people safe.

The registered manager recruited suitable staff. There was an application process which allowed appropriate pre employment checks to be carried out before they worked at the service and with people.

Training, supervision, and appraisals were available to staff to support them in their job. Newly employed staff completed a period of induction. This allowed staff to become familiar with working at the service and with people.

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. Staff supported people in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, their mental capacity assessments and DoLS authorisations as appropriate.

People had food and drink that they enjoyed and met their preferences. There was a menu for people to choose their meals.

People using the service and staff knew each other well. We saw staff treat people with kindness and compassion. Staff spoke with people living at the service and their relatives in a way that was respectful. Staff delivered care in such a way that protected people’s privacy.

People were referred to health care services for specialist health care advice. Health care professionals provided staff with guidance for staff to help them maintain their health.

Assessments were carried out of people’s care needs. A plan of care was developed that provided staff with guidance to meet the assessed needs safely. People’s changing care needs were routinely reviewed to ensure those needs were met. People had assessments of risk that could impact on their health and wellbeing. A risk management plan was then put in place to help the person manage those identified risks. People using the service and their relatives were involved in making decisions. People were supported to make informed decisions if they required that support.

People gave their feedback about the quality of care provided. The registered provider had an embedded system in place that supported people to make a complaint or raise concerns about the service. The registered manager monitored, reviewed and created an action plan to improve the service.

We have made one recommendation in relation to the deployment of staff.

One person she said 'I like it here', another said they were 'happy and contented.' A third person said they were 'grateful to the home.' We spoke with three relatives who told us they thought people were 'well cared for.' One relative explained that "staff are kind."

We spoke with four care workers, the registered manager and deputy. The atmosphere was cheerful and friendly on the day of the inspection. We saw people taking part in a quiz.

We observed that staff respected and involved people in their care. People received the care and support that met their needs. We saw that the staff co-operated with other providers to ensure that people's needs were met. We found that staff were supported by their line manager and had access to training and development opportunities. The provider assessed and monitored the quality of care that people received.