Summerfield Care Home

Updated 16 June 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

This inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Summerfield Care Home 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. Summerfield Care Home is a care home without 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 sought feedback from the local authority. 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 2 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, kitchen staff, the handyman and care staff. We also spoke with the nominated individual and 2 external professionals who visit the home. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records, this included 2 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 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.

Updated 16 June 2023

About the service

Summerfield Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 21 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people using the service.

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

People’s care plans did not always consistently provide enough information of identified risks or guidance for staff to safely manage them. Hygiene practices through the bathrooms required reviewing to help ensure safety was promoted.

People’s care records contained some out of date or contradictory information. Staff did not always consistently work with other health and social care professionals to effectively meet people’s needs.

Whilst improvements had been made since our last inspection, the auditing systems in place were still not always effective at identifying areas for improvement. The systems had not identified risk assessments and care plans required updating or where further professional input was required.

The provider had made improvements to ensure action was taken when staff identified any risk of harm. They had reviewed their systems in place to help ensure people received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong and people were supported by staff who were safely recruited to work at the home.

People were supported by staff who were trained to meet their needs and people were supported to eat and drink and maintain a healthy diet. The service was adapted and decorated to meet people’s needs. 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, although further reviews to ensure decision specific records were in place.

The registered manager and staff shared a positive culture, and they were passionate about caring for people. People, their relatives and staff were engaged and involved in the running of the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

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 requires improvement (published 5 July 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection whilst we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of some regulations, further improvements were still required, and the provider remained in breach of regulation 17.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. 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 remained 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 full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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.

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

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to good governance at this inspection. 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.