Archived: George Hythe House

Updated 26 January 2018

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 registered persons continued to meet the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Before the inspection, the registered persons completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks them to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also examined other information we held about the service. This included notifications of incidents that the registered persons had sent us since our last inspection. These are events that happened in the service that the registered persons are required to tell us about. We also invited feedback from the local authority who contributed to the cost of some of the people who lived in the service. We did this so that they could tell us their views about how well the service was meeting people’s needs and wishes.

We visited the service on 12 September 2017 and the inspection was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who lived in the service and three relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, a team leader, one care assistant, the cook and a visiting health professional.

We observed care that was provided in public areas and looked at the care records for three of the people who lived in the service. We also looked at records that related to how the service was managed including staffing, training and quality assurance.

In addition, 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 speak with us.

Updated 26 January 2018

The inspection took place on 12 September 2017 and the visit was unannounced.

George Hythe House is a care service providing accommodation and support for up to 44 people aged 55 years or over with a range of physical and/or mental health needs including dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people who lived at the home.

Accommodation is on two floors with a passenger lift for access. All bedrooms are en-suite and there is one double room. The service is divided into four ‘houses’, each with its own dining room. There is a large communal lounge on the ground floor, a second lounge on the first floor, and secluded gardens to the rear of the service.

At the last inspection on 21 April 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

At the last inspection we asked the provider to take action as some moving and handling practice was not considered to be safe. At this inspection we found people were safe and moved around the service independently and assisted safely by staff.

People and their relatives felt staff were kind and caring. People felt their privacy and dignity was respected in the delivery of care and their choice of lifestyle. Relatives that commented were complimentary about the staff and the care offered to their relatives. People were aware of their care plans and they were involved in care plan reviews. Staff offered people everyday choices and respected their decisions. People had their care and support needs assessed and were involved in the development of their care plan. Staff had access to people’s care plans and received regular updates about people’s care needs. Care plans included changes to peoples care and treatment, and people attended routine health checks.

People were provided with a choice of meals that matched their dietary needs. Staff ensured people were able to maintain contact with their family and friends and visitors were welcome without undue restrictions. There were sufficient person centred activities provided on a regular basis. People and their relatives felt they could raise any issues with the registered manager or staff.

Staff were subject to a thorough recruitment procedure that ensured staff were qualified and suitable to work at the service. All the staff received a training induction and then on-going training for their specific job role. Staff were informed and were able to explain how they kept people safe from abuse. Staff were aware of whistleblowing and what assistance was available from external bodies to report suspected abuse on to, and follow up alleged incidents. Staff were available in adequate numbers to meet people’s personal care needs.

Staff told us they had access to information about people’s care and support needs and what was important to people. People, their relatives and staff felt they could make comments or raise concerns with the management team about the way the service was run and were confident these would be acted on.

There was a clear supportive management structure within the service, which meant the staff were aware of who to contact out of hours. The provider undertook quality monitoring in the service and was supported by the registered manager and staff. Staff were aware of the reporting procedure for faults and repairs and had access to maintenance services and manage any emergency repairs.

The provider had developed opportunities for people to express their views about the service. These included the views and suggestions from people using the service, their relatives and health and social care professionals. We received positive feedback from the local authority with regard to the care and service offered to people.