We carried out a review of the data available to us about Stocks Hall Nursing Home - Burscough on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Stocks Hall Nursing Home - Burscough, you can give feedback on this service.
Stocks Hall – Burscough (Stocks Hall) is a residential care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 52 adults, including those who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people living at the home.
We found the following examples of good practice.
There were policies and procedures in place, which provided staff with clear guidance about good infection control practices, including the management of COVID-19 and visiting arrangements during the pandemic.
Government guidance was being followed in relation to isolation criteria and testing programmes for service users, staff, visitors and visiting professionals. All employees had received both COVID-19 vaccinations and all staff had completed specific training in relation to infection control and the management of COVID-19.
There were two domestic staff, plus a housekeeper on duty at the time of our site visit and cleaning schedules were in place. The environment was clean and hygienic throughout and fully stocked Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) stations were provided in the entrance hall and on both floors of the home. We were told enough supplies of PPE were available and we saw staff wearing PPE correctly.
At the last inspection, the service was rated good.
At this inspection we found the service remained good.
People were safe using the services of Stocks Hall Nursing Home - Burscough. The environment was well maintained and good infection control practices had been adopted by the home. Emergency contingency plans had been implemented. Recruitment practices and safeguarding policies helped to protect people from harm. Detailed assessments provided good guidance for staff about how health and social care risks could be minimised. We discussed the area of medicines management with the registered manager on the day of our inspection. She addressed an area of concern without delay. We recommend that any allergies are transcribed on to the MAR charts and that the clinic room temperatures are recorded daily.
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 of the service supported this practice.
Personal development for staff was an important aspect of the organisation’s ethos. This was supported by detailed induction programmes, regular supervisions, annual appraisals and a varied training schedule for all those who were employed. This helped to ensure the staff team was knowledgeable, competent and confident to deliver the care and support people needed.
Staff members were kind and caring towards those who used the service. People’s privacy, dignity and independence were consistently promoted. The policies and practices of the home helped to ensure that everyone was treated equally and were afforded the same opportunities.
Complaints were being well managed and people were offered appropriate choices at all times. The plans of care were person centred; providing staff with clear guidance about people’s assessed needs and how these needs were to be best met. This helped to ensure people received the care and support relevant to their individual health and social care needs.
Regular audits, surveys and environmental risk assessments had been conducted, so the quality of service could be closely monitored. Meetings for staff and service users were held at regular intervals. This enabled people to be involved in decisions about how the service was run.
Stocks Hall is located on a main road position in a residential area of Burscough, within walking distance of the village centre, where all amenities are available. The home accommodates up to 52 people who need help with personal or nursing care, as well as those who are living with dementia. Accommodation is arranged over two floors. The upper floor is accessible by a staircase and passenger lift. Parking is available at the home. Public transport links are within easy reach for access to the surrounding areas. Stocks Hall Nursing Home is owned by Stocks Hall Care Homes Limited.
We last inspected this location on 3rd October 2013, when we found the service to be compliant with the regulations we assessed at that time. This unannounced inspection was conducted on 16th February 2015, when the registered manager was on duty. 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.
New employees were guided through a detailed induction programme and were supported to gain confidence and the ability to deliver the care people needed. However, our findings demonstrated that the registered person did not always protect people against the risks of receiving inappropriate or unsafe care or treatment, by means of managing risks relating to people’s health, welfare and safety.
The staff team were confident in reporting any concerns about a person’s safety and were competent to deliver the care and support needed by those who lived at Stocks Hall. Recruitment practices adopted by the home were robust. This helped to ensure that only suitable people were appointed to work with this vulnerable client group.
The premises were clean and well-maintained throughout. There were no unpleasant smells, except from the sluice room, where we found a clinical waste bin to be overflowing. This was addressed at the time of our inspection. However, our findings demonstrated that the registered person did not consistently protect people against the risk of acquiring an infection by means of maintaining appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene in relation to equipment used for those who lived at the home.
Systems and equipment within the home had been serviced in accordance with the manufacturers’
recommendations, to ensure they were safe for use. This helped to protect people from harm.
The staff team were provided with a wide range of learning modules and were regularly supervised. This helped to ensure those who worked at Stocks Hall were trained to meet people’s health and social care needs. Staff were kind and caring towards those they supported and people were helped to maintain their independence with their dignity being respected at all times.
We found the management of medications could have been better. Our findings demonstrated that the registered person did not consistently protect people against risks associated with the unsafe management of medicines, by means of making appropriate arrangements for the recording, using and safe administration of medicines.
We found several breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) Regulted Activities Regulations. These related to care and welfare, medicines and infection control arrangements. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.
People told us they were able to make decisions about what they wanted to do and how they spent their day. They also said their needs were being met by a kind and caring staff team and that they felt safe when care and treatment was being provided.
Comments received from people living at the home and their relatives included:
'Senior staff are very helpful with information about what has occurred during my mother's day. Her care levels appear to be very good.'
"It is very nice living here. We all get on so well. The staff genuinely care about us."
"There is no place like home, but at least I have the company here and it is very comfortable and lovely and warm."
During our inspection we assessed how people's needs were being met and how they agreed to the care and treatment delivered. We also looked at how the quality of service was monitored, the management of medications and how complaints were handled. We did not find any concerns in the outcome areas we assessed.
People told us they were able to make decisions about what they wanted to do and how they spent their day.They also said their privacy and dignity was always respected by a kind and caring staff team and that they felt safe living at the home.
Comments received included:
"My wife is treated with the upmost respect. She is very well cared for."
"They (the staff) are very kind to me. If I need anything I just have to ask them and they will sort it out for me without hesitation."
"I am quite happy living here. It is comfortable, as you can see. I can sit where I want to and they (the staff) always ask me what I want to eat."
People told us that their privacy and dignity was respected at all times and that they felt safe living at the home. They also said that they were totally involved in planning their own care, which was delivered in a way they wanted it to be.
Those living at Stocks Hall and their relatives said that they would know how to make a complaint, if they needed to do so, but they felt confident that staff understood their needs and were satisfied with the care and support provided by the staff team. They were happy with the flexible routines of the home and complimented the low turn over of staff.
Comments received included:
'They(the staff) do a really good job';
'The staff are very caring towards mum; they are patient and take their time with her';
'They(the staff) do things very professionally, and are always polite';
'I think all the staff work hard and seem to know their roles well";
'We have been coming here for some time now and the staff are very competent'.