Archived: Pollard House

Updated 28 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 carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Pollard House 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 the information we received since the last inspection. We asked for feedback from the local authority, commissioning teams and health professionals involved with the home. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and four relatives and friends about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers and the cook. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with one health care professional and a volunteer.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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. We looked at records of staff training.

Updated 28 February 2020

About the service

Pollard House is a residential care home in Bradford. The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 older people and people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 16 living at the home.

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

People, relatives and professionals universally praised the standard of care at the home. The service was caring and there was a homely and inclusive atmosphere throughout. People were relaxed and comfortable and were treated in a warm and respectful manner. One relative said, “[Staff] genuinely care. They are great, and they really care. They deal with everyone as individuals. They go out of their way to do that.”

People told us they felt safe and secure. The staff team were consistent and experienced and had the skills to support people appropriately. They were knowledgeable about people and the topics we asked them about.

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. We have made a recommendation about updating people’s documentation to fully reflect their and/or their representatives’ involvement.

The home was spacious, well maintained and adapted to meet people’s needs. It was surrounded by spacious accessible gardens. There was refurbishment plan in place to improve the environment.

People’s care needs were assessed, and they received person-centred support from staff who understood their needs well. Staff were committed to providing person-centred care and fulfilling opportunities for people. A range of activities were available to people.

Medicines were managed safely, and the service was responsive to changes in people’s health and social needs. Close relationships were maintained with professionals who supported the service.

The registered manager provided people with leadership and was approachable and provided day to day support to people living at the home and the staff team. Systems to monitor and check the service were in place to ensure the service consistently met the required standards.

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 16 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.