Updated 3 July 2019
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection Team:
The inspection team consisted of one inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who used this type of care service. Our expert by experience had personal experience of caring for older people with dementia.
Service and service type:
Orchard Blythe is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
The inspection took place on 16 May 2019 and was unannounced.
What we did when preparing for and carrying out this inspection:
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included information received from the provider about deaths, accidents and incidents and safeguarding alerts which they are required to send to us by law. We used information the provider sent to us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once a year to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We requested feedback from the Local Authority quality monitoring officers. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During our inspection visit we spoke with seven people using the service, and two people’s relatives. Some people living at the home, due to living with dementia, were unable to give us their feedback about the service. We spent time with people to see how staff supported them. We also spoke with three care staff, a domestic assistant, the registered manager and the provider’s regional operations director.
We reviewed a range of records, including three people's care records and medication records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including audits and systems for managing any complaints. We reviewed the area manager’s records of their visits to the service; when checks were made on the quality of care provided.
We also reviewed additional information that the registered manager sent us at our request, which were examples of events and initiatives that had taken place at the service.