Chandler Court

Updated 15 March 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

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector, a specialist nurse advisor and an Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Chandler Court 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. Chandler Court is a care home with 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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 7 people who used the service and 3 people’s relatives to gain their feedback about the service. We spoke with 7 staff including the registered manager, care staff and a regional director. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 7 people’s care records, samples of medicine records, daily records and care plans and risk assessments. We looked at 3 staff records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and procedures.

Updated 15 March 2023

About the service

Chandler Court is a residential care home that provides nursing and personal care for up to 80 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection visit 53 people were using the service.

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

People did not always have risks to their health and welfare effectively managed. Care plans and risk assessments did not always reflect guidance and advice from professionals. People did not always receive their medicines in line with the prescription.

Audits were not always effective in identifying where actions were needed to improve the assessment and monitoring of risks and did not effectively monitor the outcomes for people.

People were protected from the risks of COVID-19 by effective infection control procedures. Staff had training in relation to COVID-19 and had access to sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). The registered manager and provider ensured that staff were kept up to date with infection control procedures that reflected current government guidance.

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.

There were systems in place to identify any potential signs that people were unsafe or at risk of avoidable harm, however these systems were not always effective in identifying these risks. Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe.

People told us they felt safe and were happy with the care they received.

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.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of the service. 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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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 good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

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

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and governance and management oversight of the service 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.