Background to this inspection
Updated
22 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 care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has 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 26 January 2022 and was unannounced.
Updated
22 February 2022
What life is like for people using this service:
The provider and registered manager continued to provide a ‘good’ service. People were safe at the home and staff knew how to protect them from harm. The home was well-staffed and people were supported to go out and take part in activities. All areas of the home were clean and tidy and the premises were being continually improved. People’s bedrooms were personalised in the way they wanted.
Staff were trained to provide effective care and knew how to support people with learning disabilities. Staff encouraged people to eat wholesome food and maintain a healthy weight. The home catered for people’s preferred diets including vegan. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to ensure people’s healthcare needs were met. Staff were trained in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and understood the importance of seeking consent before supporting people.
Staff treated people with kindness and compassion and we saw many caring interactions during our inspection visit. People and staff got on well. Relatives were made welcome at the home. People were encouraged to make choices about all aspects of their daily lives and their cultural and religious preferences were recognised and met. Staff reassured people when they needed this. People were encouraged and supported to be independent and staff were supporting one person with their goal of getting their own place to live.
People appeared happy and comfortable at the home. They told us staff supported them to take part in group activities and to pursue their own individual hobbies and interests. Information at the home was presented to people in an accessible way, for example the home used pictorial menus and charts to support people to make choices about meals and activities. The home had a user-friendly complaints procedure and people were reminded of their right to complain at residents' meetings and in one-to-one sessions with staff.
The registered manager knew all the people using the service well and was involved in supporting them. The home had a friendly and open culture and people were involved in how it was run. Staff told us they were well-supported by the registered manager and had regular meetings and supervision sessions. The provider and registered manager had quality assurance systems in place that enabled them to monitor the quality of the care provided and make improvements where needed.
More information is in the detailed findings below.
About the service: The Chestnuts provides care and support for up to 14 people who have mental health needs, learning difficulties and/or autistic spectrum disorders. On the day of our inspection there were 12 people living at the service.
Rating at last inspection: Good (report published on 21 September 2016)
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.