Magnolia House Residential Care Home

Magnolia House Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 62 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Some people were living with dementia. There were 60 people living there at the time of our inspection.

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

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm and abuse. Risk’s to people were assessed and measures were in place to reduce known risks. People received their medicines safely. The home was clean and hygienic, and risk of infections was managed safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs.

People’s individual needs were assessed. Staff were well trained. People and their relatives told us staff were kind, caring and compassionate. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. People told us they were supported to enjoy a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their relatives told us they felt well cared for by staff. People and their relatives told us they were happy with the standard of care and felt supported with their care needs. Overall, there was a positive and relaxed atmosphere in the home. Staff had a good knowledge of people they supported, respected their privacy and dignity and promoted people’s independence.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and preferences. People and their relatives told us they were involved in decision making regarding their care. Staff knew people's needs well. Activities co-ordinator had worked hard to provide meaningful social activities to reduce the risk of isolation.

People and relatives felt the service was well managed. The home has had consistent management team. There was a positive culture and ethos at the home. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and felt supported by the management team. The management team had systems in place to ensure there was effective oversight of the home.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 January 2019). We also carried out a focused inspection to look at the infection prevention and control processes, however the service was not rated at that time (published 27 November 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Magnolia House Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

We found the following examples of good practice.

• Safe procedures were in place for visitors to the service, including healthcare professionals and relatives to reduce and prevent the spread of infection. Processes to ensure hands were sanitised, temperatures checked, personal protective equipment [PPE] made available, and data collected to ensure visitors were not a potential risk of bringing COVID-19 into the home.

• There was a clear regular programme for staff and people living in the home to be tested for COVID-19. This meant swift action could be taken if or when positive tests were received.

• Staff were knowledgeable of procedures for don and doffing PPE and how to dispose of it safely, in line with GOV.uk guidelines. All staff wore appropriate PPE, which was in good supply. Posters and information about COVID-19 were visible throughout the service, this included pictures and easy read formats.

• A clear contingency and winter plan were in place which was used should positive testing or isolation arise.

• People using the service were able to self-isolate in their own rooms when necessary. Where anyone struggled to remain in their room, appropriate arrangements were in place to reduce the spread of infection. This meant people’s individual needs were considered to ensure everyone was kept safe.

• When people were in isolation activities were given on a one to one basis, such as, nail painting and jigsaws. When people were out of isolation activities were in communal areas and social distancing adhered to. This was to help reduce the risk to people.

• There was a stable staff team with arrangements to deploy staff across the service to reduce the risk of cross infection. No agency staff was used in the service at the time of the inspection.

• Enhanced cleaning took place throughout the home including high touch areas, such as, door handles, handrails and equipment. Designated housekeeping staff were allocated to an area of the home to ensure all areas were kept clean and free from infection. Staff had been given anti bacteria wipes and personal hand sanitiser. The provider had purchased a steam cleaner. This meant chairs and carpets could be steamed cleaned to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service met the characteristics of good in all areas.

People received safe care. There were enough staff to support them and they were recruited to ensure that they were safe to work with people. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. Lessons were learnt from when mistakes happened.

The care that people received was effective. They 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 received training and support to be able to care for people well. They ensured that people were supported to maintain good health and nutrition; including partnerships with other organisations when needed. The environment was adapted to meet people’s needs.

People had positive relationships with the staff who were caring and treated people with respect and kindness. They were able to get involved in activities and pursue their interests. Staff knew them well and understood how to care for them in a personalised way. There were plans in place which detailed people’s likes and dislikes and these were regularly reviewed. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and the registered manager responded to any complaints in line with the provider’s procedure.

The registered manager was approachable and there were systems in place which encouraged people to give their feedback. There were quality structures in place which were effective in continually developing the quality of the care that was provided to them.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection under a new registration.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the date the service was registered.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.