Updated 9 October 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
This inspection was carried out by three inspectors, a specialist nurse advisor in dementia care and three Experts 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. One Expert by Experience met and spoke with people living at the home and visiting relatives and two Experts by Experience contacted people’s relatives and friends by telephone to request their feedback following the inspection site visit.
Service and service type
Stamford Care Home 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.
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 the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We looked at formal notifications that the service had sent to the CQC. Notifications are information that registered persons are required to tell us about by law that may affect people’s health and wellbeing.
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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 16 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 15 staff including the regional support manager, registered manager, deputy manager, nurses, care staff, activities co-ordinator and maintenance person. We undertook observations of people receiving care to help us understand their experiences, especially for those people who could not talk with us.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people's care records and 26 people's medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance, complaints and health and safety were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with 15 relatives of people living at the home by telephone. We further reviewed quality assurance and training records. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.