Ridgemount

Updated 25 August 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by three inspectors.

Service and service type

Ridgemount is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

At the time of inspection, there was no registered manager in post. This meant that until there is a registered manager, the provider is 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 before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the district manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to safe recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records.

Updated 25 August 2021

About the service

Ridgemount is a care home service without nursing which can support up to 66 people. At the time of the inspection 37 people lived in the home, some of whom lived with dementia. The home had four units spread over three floors with lift and stair access. Each unit had separate communal lounge and dining areas as well as kitchenettes. The ground floor also contained a large conservatory where group activities could take place.

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

People told us there were insufficient activities to engage them and some of the activities we observed were not meaningful to the person. Staff told us they did not always have the time to initiate the activities which the provider expected them to manage. Following inspection, the provider told us their wellness coordinator was supporting staff to improve on this. We made a recommendation that the provider supports staff in a way which enables them to provide care for people, as well as being able to deliver activities of people’s choosing.

The provider was part of the local authority’s ‘provider support and intervention’ programme since April 2021, following concerns about risk management and safe care of people. The current leadership team embraced the support offered by the local authority to improve the service, attended all required meetings and submitted regular updates on their improvement plan. Despite this, we found the provider’s audits did not always identify areas for improvement including how records were kept. We made a recommendation that the provider should maintain close oversight of the service until such time as the current improvements are embedded.

People were supported to keep safe. Staff were using personal protective equipment correctly and there were appropriate systems in place for the testing of staff, visitors and people living at the service for the COVID-19 infection. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

Staff were knowledgeable about the risks associated with people's care. There were plans in place to protect people in the event of a fire or if the building had to be evacuated. Care plans were personalised in recognition of people’s individual needs and care staff spoke positively about the quality of information they contained.

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. People told us staff were kind, caring and respectful towards them. Relatives and visitors were welcomed into the service. People and relatives knew how to raise a complaint and were confident that complaints would be listened to and addressed.

People, relatives and staff said the current leadership of the service was supportive and managers were frequently seen around the home. Staff told us that they were encouraged to report any incidents or matters of concern and to share their views and ideas on the running of the service.

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 2 September 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted due to concerns received about poor monitoring of people’s nutritional intake, reduced social activities for people and a poor staff culture. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the Responsive and Well-Led section of this full report.

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

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.