The Hawthornes

We found the following examples of good practice.

Before visitors were allowed into the home, they had to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 lateral flow test. People and staff had COVID-19 risk assessments in place.

A visitor we spoke with said they were fully engaged by the provider who kept them up-to-date with COVID-19 visiting guidance. Contractors who were visiting on the day of our inspection were familiar with this guidance and their responsibility to protect people.

Staff we observed were wearing PPE correctly. People we spoke with confirmed staff wore their PPE at all times. The home had a dedicated donning and doffing area for staff to use. There were sufficient amounts of PPE and hand washing products in the home.

People and staff were part of a regular programme of testing for COVID-19. Staff had received a double vaccination against COVID-19 as a minimum.

Cleaning schedules had been completed and domestic staff were aware of the importance of keeping frequent touch points in the home clean.

The provider’s infection control policy referred to current guidance. Regular infection control audits were being carried out.

The Hawthornes is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 40 older people, including people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 28 people living at the service.

The Hawthornes has two floors. The first floor provides care to people living with dementia. All bedrooms have en-suite facilities and there are communal areas such as lounges, dining rooms and bathrooms on both floors.

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

People felt safe. Systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. People received their medication as prescribed by staff who had been appropriately trained.

Risks to people were effectively managed. Staff knew people well and were knowledgeable about individual risk management. Safe infection prevention and control (IPC) practices were in place to minimise the risk of spread of infection.

Systems in place to monitor the service were effective in identifying and addressing areas that required improvement. There was a positive culture at the service. People were happy with the support they received. People and staff were involved in making changes to the service.

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 16 August 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted through our intelligence monitoring system. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remains as requires improvement.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Hawthornes 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.

The Hawthornes is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 40 older people, including people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people living at the service.

The Hawthornes has two floors; the ground floor accommodation and the first floor accessed by passenger lift. All bedrooms have en-suite facilities and there are communal areas such as lounges, dining rooms and bathrooms on both floors. The first floor provides care to people living with dementia.

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

We found one breach of the regulations in relation to staff training. Staff had not been given the opportunity to receive appropriate training.

People and their relatives told us there were not enough staff and people had to wait to be supported. Activities were available for people to participate both in the home and community however these were not very well advertised.

People told us they felt safe. They were supported to take their medicines in a safe way and were safely managed.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. Staff promoted independence and ensured people spent time with and enjoyed time with people who were important to them. People felt comfortable with staff and formed positive relationships. Staff were aware of people's privacy and made sure this was respected. People were listened to and had their choices responded to. People enjoyed the meals and their dietary needs had been catered for.

A complaints procedure was in place. People and relatives told us they would have no hesitation in raising concerns.

Records showed people had regular access to healthcare professionals to make sure their health care 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.

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 3 May 2016). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Enforcement:

Please see the ‘action we have told the provider to take’ section towards the end of the report.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, high quality care.

Further inspections will be planned for future dates. We will follow up on the breach of regulations and recommendations we have made at our next inspection.