Updated 27 September 2019
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.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. 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
Whitbourne 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.
The home is purpose built accommodating up to 41 people. Five beds provide support to people requiring short term support in 'discharge to assess' or crisis beds. The rest of the service supported people with a range of conditions which included people living with dementia.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the registered manager and provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. 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. We looked at notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. This ensured we were addressing any areas of concern. We received feedback from one social and health care professional who regularly visited people who received care from the service. We also reviewed the provider’s previous inspection reports. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people and four relatives. We looked at four people’s care records and four medicine administration records (MAR). During the inspection we spent time with people. We looked around the home and observed the way staff interacted with people. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and six staff which included, care staff, kitchen staff and domestic staff. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.