Background to this inspection
Updated
20 February 2020
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.
Inspection team
The inspection was undertaken by one inspector, an inspection manager and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Birchwood Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager 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 before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and local safeguarding team. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with nine people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including; the registered manager, the manager of a neighbouring service also run by the provider, two senior carers, three care workers, and the chef. We also spoke with two district nurses who were visiting the home. We observed with how staff interacted with people using the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. 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.
Updated
20 February 2020
About the service
Birchwood Court provides accommodation and personal care for up to 43 older people. At the time of the inspection 43 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives told us the care was safe and they were happy at the service. Medicines were managed safely. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. The registered manager sought to learn from any accidents and incidents involving people.
The registered manager carried out detailed assessments of need to ensure the service could effectively support any new admissions. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and staff were trained to support people who had different dietary needs. Staff told us they were well trained and supported and supervised by the management team. The service worked well with community healthcare partners such as the local GP practices to ensure people received healthcare support where needed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Interactions between people and the staff team were very positive. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff were responsive when people needed additional support. People were supported to maintain relationships with those important to them. Relatives we spoke with told us they were always made welcome and the atmosphere at the home was warm and friendly.
People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and preferences. They were involved in reviews of their care where they were able. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint. Those people we spoke with said they had opportunity, through regular meetings, to raise any issues they had. The home received regular compliments about the good care people received. Complaints and concerns were dealt with robustly and proactively by the management team.
The registered manager who had been in post for a year had driven improvements and provided stability. People's feedback was sought regularly and acted upon. We received positive feedback from people, relatives and staff about how the service was now managed. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the 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 and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 29 April 2017). There was also an inspection on 14 February 2019 however, the report following that inspection was withdrawn as there was an issue with some of the information that we gathered.
Why we inspected
This is a planned re-inspection because of the issue highlighted above.
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.