Snowdrop House

Updated 14 April 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 16 March 2021 and was announced so we could ask some initial questions about COVID-19 practices at the home.

Updated 14 April 2021

Snowdrop House is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 52 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 70 people and can provide short-term respite care and specialist care for people who may live with dementia, have a physical disability or require mental health support.

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

The service provided end of life care. People’s care plans did not include the detailed information needed to keep people comfortable and pain free at this time. Peoples’ care plans lacked the finer detail to help staff provide consistent care. The provider’s quality auditing system failed to identify this lack of detail to support staff in providing consistent care and effective end of life care.

People said they felt their complaints were not always responded to and they did not always feel listened to. We received mixed feedback about whether the manager was seen around the home regularly. The manager told us of various methods they used to gain people’s feedback however, people were not confident that any changes resulted from them giving their feedback.

People and relatives said they were happy with the care provided and people enjoyed the activities provided. People, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in planning care. People’s bedrooms were personalised, and communal corridors were wide and welcoming spaces. People were supported by external health and social care professionals and staff supported people to attend appointments as needed.

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.

Staff received an induction when starting at the service. Regular training, specific to their role, was delivered and refreshed when needed. Staff received supervision and felt supported by the management team. We received mixed feedback about the food, however, a new chef had been recruited and this was their first day at the service.

Some people gave mixed feedback about staffing levels however, we saw people received support when they requested it. Recruitment processes were robust. Staff had received training about safeguarding people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had to the management team.

People were protected from the risk of infections. People's medicines were administered, stored and recorded safely. The outcome of any ‘lessons learned’ was shared with the staff team. People’s individual risks were assessed, and staff supported people safely and patiently. Accidents and incidents were reviewed, and action taken as needed.

People were treated with respect and kindness. Staff were attentive and the atmosphere in the home was calm and relaxing. Visitors were welcomed into the home. People were asked for their views about the care as part of their care plan review. People’s choices were respected, and staff were mindful of people’s dignity when supporting them. People’s private and confidential records were stored securely.

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 requires improvement (published 24 October 2018). At this inspection the service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the second consecutive inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.