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 Care Act 2014.

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 was carried out by three inspectors, two attended the location and one completed an inspection of medicines remotely.

Service and service type

Hamble Heights is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We reviewed information we already held about the service including notifications, complaints and information received from health and social care professionals.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with ten members of staff including the interim manager, interim clinical lead, a director of care, care workers, housekeepers, maintenance staff and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records, including medicines administration records (MARs), care plans, daily notes and risk assessments. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the governance and management of the service, including training records, audits, policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification and records from the manager. We contacted the staff team and relatives of people living at Hamble Heights by email to obtain their views of the service. We received 42 responses to our feedback requests.