Estherene House

Updated 25 December 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 one inspector.

Service and service type

Estherene House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative. We spoke with five staff members including the registered manager, administrator and care staff. We reviewed five care records and two recruitment files. Multiple records relating to the quality, safety and monitoring of the service were reviewed.

Updated 25 December 2021

About the service

Estherene House is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 29 older people at the time of inspection. The service can support up to 36 people.

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

At the last inspection the service needed to make improvements to comply with recommendations made following a fire risk assessment and water quality risk assessment. This work had been completed at this inspection. This assured us that people were safe from the risk of Legionella and of harm in the event of a fire.

At the last inspection the service needed to make some improvements to care planning. At this inspection we found that the information in care planning and risk assessments had improved.

People’s medicines were managed, monitored and administered safely and there were enough staff to provide care to people at the time they required it.

The service was clean and there were appropriate procedures in place to minimise the risk of the transmission of COVID19. At the last inspection some staff were not wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) properly, but this had improved at this inspection.

The provider had made improvements to the quality assurance system in place and had employed a new member of staff to complete quality assurance audits on their behalf. These had already resulted in positive development 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 inadequate (21 July 2021).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 21 July 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.