Heavers Court

Updated 9 December 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

Three inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Heavers Court 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. Heavers Court 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 a registered manager in post.

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 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 with 10 people using the service. We asked them for their views about the safety and quality of care and support provided at the service. We observed interactions between people and staff to understand people’s experiences. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the regional manager, 2 team leaders and 5 care support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records, records relating to medicines management, 3 staff recruitment files, staff training and supervision information and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 9 December 2023

About the service

Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd, is registered to provide accommodation, and personal and nursing care to up to 60 people at Heavers Court. The service specialises in supporting older people, some of whom are living with dementia. The provider is only contractually obliged by the commissioning local authority to provide personal and nursing care to people. Another organisation maintains the premises and equipment and provides the cleaning, laundry and catering services. As the registered provider, Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd retains overall responsibility for ensuring all the legal requirements are met in relation to the accommodation and the care and support provided to people. At the time of our inspection there were 52 people using the service.

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

Staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse and reported safeguarding concerns to the relevant people and agencies. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were managed well.

There were enough staff to support people and meet their needs. Recruitment checks were undertaken on staff to make sure they were suitable to support people.

Senior staff undertook checks of the premises and equipment to make sure these were safe. They worked well with the organisation responsible for maintaining the premises and equipment, to make sure any issues were dealt with appropriately. Staff followed current infection control and hygiene practice to reduce the risk of infections.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were supported and valued by managers and encouraged to put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did. People were satisfied with the care and support they received from staff.

The service worked proactively with healthcare professionals and acted on their recommendations to deliver care and support that met people’s needs. People were supported to take their prescribed medicines.

The service was managed well. The registered manager had the skills and experience to perform their role. They undertook checks to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager was well supported by the provider, who undertook their own checks of the service to make sure required standards were being met.

The provider obtained people’s feedback about how the service could be improved and these were acted on. There were systems in place to ensure accidents and incidents were investigated and the learning from these shared with the staff team, to help the service improve the quality and safety of the support provided.

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 the service was good (published on 20 November 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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, which will help inform when we next inspect.