Forest Manor Care Home

Updated 8 February 2022

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 the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 25 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 8 February 2022

About the service

Forest Manor Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and nursing for a maximum of 40 people and people living with dementia in one adapted building. There were 39 people living at the service and one person was in hospital on the day of our inspection visit.

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

People received exceptional care that consistently showed how staff went above and beyond in providing people with excellent individualised care. Staff understood what was important for people and they were innovative in their approach, commitment and compassion in making a difference to people. This had impacted on people achieving positive outcomes. Feedback from people, relatives, friends and external professionals was consistently positive and highly complementary about the care and approach of staff and the leadership of the registered manager.

People received safe care and treatment from staff who knew and understood their needs, including how to manage and reduce known risks. Incidents and accidents were analysed and lessons learnt were shared with the staff team to reduce further risks. Staff protected people from abuse and avoidable harm. The provider ensured staff completed regular training in safeguarding, health and safety including clinical needs. Staff were deployed effectively and staffing was flexible to meet people’s dependency needs. Safe recruitment procedures were used when new staff were appointed. Medicines were managed in line with national best practice and people received their proscribed medicines when they needed. Infection control measures were followed to reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination.

Staff received an induction and ongoing training and development. Recognised assessment tools were used to assess and monitor people’s care needs. People were supported with their nutritional and hydration needs, and staff worked well with external professionals in managing and monitoring health conditions. 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 received a responsive service that met their individual needs. People's diverse needs, preferences and social history was assessed and care plans provided staff with guidance. People received opportunities of social activities and community involvement. Complaints and concerns had been acted upon and investigated in a timely manner. End of life care was discussed and planned with people and their relative or representative. Positive feedback had been received about the staff’s approach to end of life care.

The registered manager was an inspirational leader, who was extremely caring and compassionate and strived to continually provide people with the very best care which was personalised. The culture of the service was open and transparent. The registered manager actively engaged and had developed a positive relationship with the community and external professionals. They continually developed their own learning and shared this with the staff. The systems and processes were effective in monitoring quality and safety and there was good oversight and accountability of the service.

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 18 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.