Archived: Caddington Grove

We found the following areas of good practice:

An infection and control policy was in place and had been updated to cover areas pertinent to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The home had purchased adequate amounts of personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure that staff could protect themselves and people living in the home. Staff had received training with regard to donning and doffing PPE. Used PPE was disposed of as clinical waste.

At the time of our inspection, visitors were unable to visit in person (unless for essential and palliative visits) so staff had set up different ways in which people could stay in touch with those who are important to them. This included by phone, tablet and window visits. A family and friends lounge had been prepared for visiting and had been up and running for 6 months prior to our visit.

All staff undertook both PCR and lateral flow tests in order to protect the people they cared for. Where staff tested positive, they were supported to isolate at home and the appropriate authorities informed.

The premises looked clean throughout and communal areas were ventilated. Cleaning schedules had been updated in light of COVID-19 risks and frequent cleaning of high touch areas was undertaken by all staff, both day and night. The home had a large stock of cleaning detergents which had been checked for their efficacy in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Oversight of laundry was comprehensive and housekeeping staff demonstrated a good knowledge of the guidelines in place for washing people’s clothing should someone test positive for COVID-19.

At the time of our inspection, the provider had not undertaken written COVID-19 risk assessments to formally record the risks posed by COVID-19 to staff and measures to mitigate these risks to staff. This included staff who may be vulnerable due to their clinical history or ethnic background. Following the inspection, these risk assessments were completed.

Caddington Grove is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 28 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 66 people. Caddington Grove accommodates people across three separate floors. One floor specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

People and their relatives were positive about their care. One relative told us, ‘‘All the staff are natural carers, compassionate and keen to do a good job. I can go home and not worry and know that [family member] is perfectly safe and being cared for.’’

Risk assessments around people’s nutrition and hydration did not always clearly state how much food and drink people needed to be safe. We have made a recommendation to the service about reviewing and updating people’s risk assessments.

People were supported with kindness, respect and compassion. Staff had taken the time to get to know people and knew how to communicate with people in their preferred communication methods and encouraged people’s independence. People were supported to make choices about their care and how they would be supported by staff members.

People received personalised care which met their needs. There were a variety of activities both in the service and in the community which people could choose to take part in. People were supported to try new things which may interest them or help them to maintain skills which were important to them, such as their mobility.

People were protected from harm and abuse by systems and checks in place at the service including areas such as the premises and medication. There were enough staff to support people safely.

People were supported by a knowledgeable staff team who received training and supervision which supported them to be effective in their job roles.

People gave mixed feedback about the food at the service. However, the registered manager and staff team were responsive to people’s requests in this area and were constantly working to meet people’s wishes and needs. People were supported to visit or be visited by health professionals when this support was needed.

The premises had been adapted to support the needs of people. Signage and decoration on the top floor of the service supported people living with dementia to orientate themselves and understand the facilities at the service.

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 had access to a complaints policy and complaints had been responded to and actioned in a timely manner. People had been supported to discuss plans for the end of their life if they chose to do so.

The registered manager was very visible at the service and promoted a positive culture for people and the staff team. The registered manager and the providers representatives completed audits and checks to monitor the quality of the service.

People were put at the centre of the service and were encouraged to take part in all aspects of the development of the service. The registered manager and staff team had a passion for working with others and this promoted and ensured good outcomes for people. People told us, and we saw that people benefited from these outcomes.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

This service was registered with us on 25 July 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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.