We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Orchard Nursing Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Orchard Nursing Home, you can give feedback on this service.
We found the following examples of good practice.
¿ People were chatting and engaging with staff and this did not appear to be impacted by staff wearing masks. Staff told us they sometimes wrote things down for people to aid communication. The wellbeing team was providing support to help prevent loneliness and boredom for people.
¿ Information was displayed about COVID-19 giving clear and accessible advice.
¿ The provider had developed policies, procedures and risks assessments for managing the service in relation to COVID-19. This included if a staff member was unable to wear a mask or wore long sleeves for religious reasons. Control measures were put in place.
¿ The home was clean and there was cleaning ongoing during our visit.
¿ People were in cohorts on their units and considered communal areas as part of their home.
¿ There was a visitor’s pod for use when visits were permitted. This was separate to the home to help promote people’s safety. There was also regular virtual contact with friends and family.
¿ When people tested positive for COVID-19 they had to isolate in their rooms, for a set period of time. Staff were clear on what it meant to isolate and what symptoms of COVID-19 to look out for. People returning from hospital or those new to the home had to isolate for 14 days. Where this was not possible, for example for someone who may be living with dementia, a risk assessment was completed.
¿ Staff had received training on putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (PPE), infection control and COVID-19. They told us they felt supported and had enough information to do their jobs. They said the management team checked they worked safely.
The Orchard Nursing home is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 59 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 63 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the care and support they received. Staff were friendly and attentive to people’s needs. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they were trained and felt supported.
People felt safe and staff were aware of how to promote people’s safety. Regular checks were in place to ensure staff worked in accordance with training and health and safety adhered to.
The environment was pleasant with plenty of communal space for people to enjoy. Items of interest were placed around in the unit which mainly supported people living with dementia. People enjoyed the activities and there were systems in place to help prevent people becoming isolated.
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.
People were involved in planning their care and they, along with their relatives felt listened to. Complaints were well managed, and feedback was sought through meetings and surveys.
Feedback about the registered manager and management team was positive. There was an open culture in the home and the expectation was people came first. The quality assurance systems checked to ensure the home was running how it should and people received a good service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 April 2018). Since this rating was awarded the provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection. At this inspection the service had improved its rating to Good.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based the date of registration.
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.