Updated 29 March 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 two inspectors 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. The expert at this inspection had experience of caring for older people.
Service and service type:
The Whitehouse is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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:
This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the provider and staff were not aware that we were coming.
What we did:
•Before the inspection we used information, the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they intend to make. This information helps us support our inspections.
• We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as incidents and abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.
During the inspection:
• We observed the support that people received, spoke with people and staff and gathered information relating to the management of the service.
• We used the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI), which 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 four staff recruitment files, training, records relating to the management of the home and a variety of policies and procedures and quality assurance processes developed and implemented by the provider.
• We reviewed four people’s care records.
• We spoke with nine people living at the service.
• We spoke with six members of staff, including the registered manager, the manager, the deputy manager, a maintenance worker, the chef and care staff.