We carried out a review of the data available to us about Weyspring Park on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Weyspring Park, you can give feedback on this service.
Weyspring Park is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 34 people in one adapted building. The service provides support to people with a range of complex health and care needs including diabetes, people living with dementia and complex psychological conditions including schizophrenia. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from abuse and the risk of discrimination. Risks to people had been fully assessed and mitigated. People told us they were supported to keep themselves and their personal belongings safe. People received their medicines safely. Infection control processes protected people from the risk of infection.
People's care plans were individualised and reflected their needs and personal preferences. The service worked together with healthcare professionals to ensure people’s health, care and wellbeing needs were met. 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.
Quality assurance processes and audits were in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the care provided. Staff were suitably trained and had their competencies assessed regularly. There was enough staff to safely support people. We received positive feedback about the registered manager and provider about how the service was managed.
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 30 December 2021).
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 a previous inspection.
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.
We undertook an unannounced focused inspection of the service on 22 March 2021, 8 April and 5 May 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found, and conditions were placed on the providers registration in relation to the following regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014; Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment), Regulation 13 (Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment; Regulation 17(Good governance), Regulation 18 (Staffing).
The provider completed an action plan after the inspection on the 5 May 2021 to show how they would improve and by when. We undertook an unannounced focused inspection of the service on 9 November 2021 to check they had followed their action plan. At the inspection on the 9 November 2021 the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Following the inspection on 22 March 2021 and 5 May 2021 the provider was required to send CQC a monthly report of actions to demonstrate how they were meeting the conditions placed on their registration. At inspection on 9 November 2021 we did not review the conditions. This is because they had only recently been placed upon the providers registration and the provider needed further time to address the required actions and embed service improvements.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they were meeting the conditions and to confirm they now met legal requirements.
This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-Led which contain those requirements. 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 requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weyspring Park on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Weyspring Park is registered to provide nursing care and residential care for up to 34 people. People had a range of care needs, including people living with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection, 31 people were living at the service.
The service is a country house in a remote location. It has been adapted and extended to ensure it is fully accessible. People have their own bedrooms, and some have en suite bathrooms. There are communal areas and extensive grounds.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Improvements had been made to the way staff supported people to manage their behaviour. There were improved practices to ensure medicines were managed safely. People were working with staff to ensure their care plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided guidance to meet their needs and preferences. These processes need to continue and become fully embedded into practice.
Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment. Staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People told us that they felt safe
The culture of the service was positive, and people and staff were complimentary of the management and provider. Improvements had been made to systems and process that monitored the quality of the service being delivered and accuracy of records. These improvements need to be sustained and become fully embedded into practice.
People were treated with kindness and compassion and staff were friendly and respectful. People and their relatives told us they were happy with the service they received. Their feedback included “The staff are lovely, and they keep things going”. And, “They are very nice people. I like it very much”. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care they received. 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.
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 Inadequate (14 June 2021). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 15 June 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 22 March, 8 April and 5 May 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found in the following regulations. Safe care and treatment, Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, Staffing and Good governance. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weyspring Park on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor the service through the providers monthly report on conditions. We will speak 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.
Weyspring Park is registered to provide nursing care and residential care for up to 34 people with a range of care needs, including frailty of old age, people living with dementia, and mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection, 32 people were living at the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us that they could talk to staff and that they felt safe living in the service. One person told us they had moved to Weyspring Park for convalescence and liked it so much they asked to stay. Relatives told us they felt people were safe and well looked after. We found people were not always supported to have maximum choice when moving around the service. Blanket measures designed to keep people safe were restrictive to some people.
Risks to people were not always identified and managed. Care plans lacked information about people’s dementia and how this impacted on their behaviour and communication.
People were not always receiving safe care. As required medicine (PRN) protocols and care plans failed to provide guidance to staff on when it was appropriate to administer a particular medicine or associated risks. We identified occasions when people had been administered PRN medicines without due consideration of this being the least restrictive or necessary option for the person.
Staff did not always receive effective training or support. Staff had not received training on people’s specific health conditions to support safe and consistent care. Some staff told us they had not had recent support or training. Some staff felt supported by managers however others disagreed.
Existing leadership and governance measures were not effective in identifying service shortfalls and failed to assess, monitor and mitigate risks relating to health, safety and welfare for people.
There were indications of a closed culture at Weyspring Park. A closed culture is a poor culture in health and social care that increases the risk of harm. This includes abuse and human rights breaches and may be deliberate or unintentional. During the inspection we made the provider aware of our concerns.
People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.
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 20 December 2018)
Why we inspected
We undertook an initial targeted inspection to follow up on a specific concern we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about safeguarding, staffing and infection prevention and control (IPC). A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We inspected and found there was a concern with restrictions for people, staff training and support and the culture of the service so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a focused inspection which included the key questions of safe, effective and well-led. This necessitated the team returning to the service to undertake a second day of inspection. We identified concerns with medicines and therefore returned with a pharmacy inspector to examine those risks to people.
The provider needs to make improvements. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report. The provider has taken some action following our feedback during the inspection process and provided assurances of their improvement plan.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weyspring Park on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified breaches in relation to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, staffing and good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded
Follow up
We sought some immediate assurances following the first site visit due to the level of concern we had about the standards of quality and safety. We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to continue to improve the standards. We will work alongside the provider and 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.
The overall rating for this service is ‘Inadequate’ and the service is therefore in ‘special measures’. This means we will keep the service under review and, we will re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements.
If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe. And there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.
For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months. If the service has demonstrated improvements when we inspect it. And it is no longer rated as inadequate for any of the five key questions it will no longer be in special measures.
Weyspring Park is registered to provide nursing care and residential care for up to 24 people with a range of care needs, including frailty of old age, people living with dementia and mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection, 15 people were accommodated at the home. Weyspring Park is divided into three areas, over three floors with communal areas available to every person. Weyspring Park is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. Care Quality Commission regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
There were systems, processes and practices to safeguard people from situations in which they may experience abuse. Risks to people's safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected. Suitable arrangements had been made to ensure that sufficient numbers of suitable staff were deployed in the service to support people to stay safe and meet their needs. Background checks had been completed before care staff and nursing staff had been appointed. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection and lessons had been learnt when things had gone wrong.
Suitable arrangements had been made to obtain consent to care and treatment in line with legislation and guidance. Care staff had been supported to deliver care in line with current best practice guidance. People enjoyed their meals and were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. People had been enabled to receive coordinated and person-centred care when they used or moved between different services. As part of this, people had been supported to live healthier lives by having suitable access to healthcare services so that they received on-going healthcare support. People had benefited from the accommodation being adapted, designed and decorated in a way that met their needs and expectations.
People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion and they were given emotional support when needed. They were supported to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care as far as possible. People 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. Confidential information was kept private. People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People's concerns and complaints were listened and responded to in order to improve the quality of care. Suitable provision had been made to support people at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.
There was a positive culture in the service that was open, inclusive and focused upon achieving good outcomes for people. People benefited from there being a management framework to ensure that staff understood their responsibilities so that risks and regulatory requirements were met. The views of people who lived in the service, relatives and staff had been gathered and acted on to shape any improvements that were made. Quality checks had been completed to ensure people benefited from the service being able to quickly put problems right and to innovate so that people consistently received safe care. Good team work was promoted and staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns about people not being treated in the right way. The management team worked in partnership with other agencies to support the development of joined-up care.