31 May 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Northwood Nursing and Residential Care is a residential care home providing accommodation and nursing care for up to 27 people in one adapted building, with bedrooms over 3 floors. At the time of the inspection there were 22 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Risks to people’s health and safety were not always identified and medicines were not always managed and administered safely. People spoke highly of the staff but felt there wasn’t always enough of them. People’s mobility care plans and risk assessments were not always reflective of their current needs, and some held conflicting information. Infection control processes were not always followed, and recruitment processes were not always robust, we made a recommendation about this. Staff had received training in safeguarding, and people felt safe living at the service
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; However, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice. People’s consent was not always sought, and staff had limited knowledge of DoLS. Staff received induction, training and support to carry out their role. The service had been adapted to meet people’s needs. The provider worked well with other healthcare professionals to provide joined up effective care.
Governance systems were in place but not always effective. There was limited evidence of mitigation of risk when concerns had been found. The service had policies and procedures in place, but they were not always reflective of current practices. People and their families spoke positively of the management team and of the staff. Staff described the management as fair and approachable. People were empowered to maintain their independence.
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 good (published 5 October 2022)
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We received concerns in relation to the management of medicines and staffing. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective, and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective, and well led sections of this report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Northwood Nursing and Residential Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified breaches in relation to medicines management, risks to the health and safety of people living at the service, consent, and good governance at this inspection. We made a recommendation in relation to infection control and staffing and recruitment.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.