Barton Cottage

Updated 14 January 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 17 December and was announced.

Updated 14 January 2021

We inspected this service on 18 January 2018. Barton Cottage is a short-stay care home for 12 people. The unit is located in a wing of The Barton Health & Community Care Centre. 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. People were admitted from the local hospital or through the primary care trust instead of receiving treatment in hospital. Nine beds were allocated and funded for rehabilitation, intermediate and palliative care and three beds provided respite care for people with significant long term neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease. The accommodation includes a combined lounge and dining room, a visitor’s room, a games room and enclosed garden. On the day of our inspection visit, ten people were staying at the home.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated as Good. At this inspection, we found the service had improved their rating to outstanding in Effective by demonstrating that they worked in partnership with a number of organisations to ensure people’s care and support needs were met holistically. We found the service remained Good overall.

Staff worked closely with other professionals to ensure people’s specific health needs were met and they were supported to regain their independence and return home as soon as possible. Staff looked for new approaches and equipment to improve people’s care offering them maximum independence and choice. Improvements had been made to the premises which encouraged people to engage in activities and provided private space for people to spend time with their families. People enjoyed a wide range of food and drink, and the importance of eating and drinking well was promoted by all staff. Staff received appropriate training to meet the needs of people at the service and they were supported and encouraged by the provider to develop their skills and knowledge. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. We saw the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People continued to receive safe care. People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm by staff who understood their responsibilities to identify and report any signs of potential abuse. We saw that concerns were taken seriously and investigated thoroughly to ensure lessons were learnt. Risks associated with people’s care and support were managed safely and relatives were confident their family members were safe and well cared for. People received their medicines when needed and there were suitable arrangements in place in relation to the safe administration, recording and storage of medicines. There were sufficient, suitably recruited staff to meet people’s needs.

The care people received remained good. People liked the staff and had formed positive, caring relationships. Staff were kind and caring and supported people to make choices about their care. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained at all times.

The service remained responsive. People’s support plans reflected their views and were reviewed when their needs changed. People were supported at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death. People’s diversity was recognised and promoted by the staff and people were supported to follow their religious beliefs and to maintain important family relationships. People were supported to raise any concerns or complaints. The staff and acting deputy manager were approachable and were confident any concerns they raised would be listened to an acted on.

The service remained well led. There were suitable systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. These were monitored by the provider to ensure any improvements needed were made in a timely way. The provider listened to the views of people using the service and their relatives to make improvements in the service.