Winscombe Hall

Updated 15 February 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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 two inspectors.

Service and service type

Winscombe Hall is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Winscombe Hall is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for three months and planned to apply to register following their period of probation.

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. This included the statutory notifications the provider had sent to CQC. A notification includes information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke briefly with 7 people living at the service. We also spent time observing people in the communal areas of the home to help us understand their experiences. We spoke with 6 members of staff, including the manager. We received feedback from 4 relatives of people who lived at the service. The views of everyone we spoke with have been incorporated into this report.

We viewed a range of records and documents. This included 4 people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We checked a variety of records relating to the management of the service. This included policies and procedures, quality assurance checks and health and safety documents.

We considered this information to help us to make a judgement about the service.

Updated 15 February 2023

About the service

Winscombe Hall is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to up to 39 people. The service provides support to older people and those who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

Winscombe Hall is located in a large listed building in a rural area. Accommodation is provided in two wings, ‘The Hall’ and ‘The Stables’. The Stables specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

People appeared relaxed and comfortable living at Winscombe Hall and they received safe care and support from staff who knew them well. Information was recorded and shared appropriately to enable staff to help people get the support they required.

People were involved in decisions about their care and received care which promoted their dignity. 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.

People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff were trained and the service assessed, monitored and managed the risks associated with people’s care. The living environment and equipment were regularly checked to reduce and manage risks.

Medicines and infection control were both managed safely. The team worked with other health and social care services to promote good outcomes for people and keep them safe.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the service and staff team. The numbers and skills of staff matched the needs of people using the service. Staff were safely recruited and received supervision and training to ensure they were skilled, and people were kept safe.

There had been changes in the management and staff teams recently, but we received positive feedback about this and there was evidence of service development and improvement. The manager and senior team worked directly with people and led by example to ensure there was a positive culture at the service.

Effective governance processes were in place and the quality and safety of the service was well monitored. A range of audits were carried out regularly, and action plans were in place and checked to ensure improvements were achieved.

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 21 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staffing and management, medicines management, continence care and standards of hygiene. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well led sections of this report.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.