We carried out a review of the data available to us about Barley View 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 Barley View, you can give feedback on this service.
Barley View is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 28 people. There were 25 people living in the home at the time of the inspection. The home is a purpose-built property situated in Whitworth. The home has two floors, the ground floor is known as Willow Lane and the first floor is known as Forest Grove. Willow Lane provides care and support for people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided in single bedrooms all with ensuite shower facilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe living in the home, and they were satisfied with the service provided. Whilst there had been some improvements to the management of medicines, we found some shortfalls in the records and made a recommendation to further strengthen the medicines systems. Following the inspection, the nominated individual assured us a senior lead would have oversight of people’s medicines.
There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s needs. We found a shortfall in the regulatory checks for one staff member. The nominated individual assured us appropriate checks had been carried out for all other staff. Whilst environmental risks had been assessed, individual risk assessments had not always been completed. Following the inspection, the nominated individual told us the manager would ensure all risk assessments were completed and added to people’s care plans. The home had a good standard of cleanliness throughout.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. However, relevant documentation was not always available on people’s care files.
The management team carried out a series of audits to check and monitor the quality of the service. People living in the home, relatives and staff were invited to attend meetings and express their views on the service. Following the inspection, the nominated individual sent us details of previous audits and other information pertaining to the management of the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection and update
The last rating for the service was requires improvement (published 11 December 2019). There were two breaches of the regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 12, 13 and 15 November 2019. Two breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the management of medicines and the governance systems.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last comprehensive inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Barley View on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Recommendations
We have recommended the provider further strengthens the systems for the management of medicines.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
We found the following areas of good practice:
The nominated individual and registered manager had established robust infection prevention and control procedures which were understood and followed by the staff. All staff had completed training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and participated in the weekly testing programme. The service had plentiful supplies of PPE and stocks were carefully monitored. The staff were well organised into separate teams and had been provided with changing areas.
The premises were kept in a clean and hygienic condition throughout and regular checks were undertaken to ensure infection prevention and control measures were maintained.
Although visiting was subject to government restrictions, the management team had reviewed visiting policies to ensure any visits were carried out safely and based on an individual risk assessment. Management and staff had found different ways to enable people to maintain contact with their relatives which included the use of technology, window visits and outdoor patio visits.
The atmosphere in the home was warm, comfortable and calm. The staff had worked hard to maintain people’s spirits and wellbeing.
The provider’s infection prevention and control policies and procedures were up to date and an audit had been carried out. The provider had also developed a Covid-19 contingency plan, which set out in detail the continuity of the service during the current pandemic.
We were assured this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Barley View provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 older people. The home is a purpose built property situated in Whitworth. The home has two floors, the ground floor is known as Willow Lane and the first floor is known as Forest Grove. Willow Lane provides care and support for people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided in single bedrooms all with ensuite shower facilities. At the time of the inspection, there were 27 people accommodated in the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe in the home and they were happy with the care provided. However, we found their medicines were not always managed safely and records relating to medicines were not completed consistently. Staff had carried out risk assessments, however, these had not always been updated in line with people’s changing needs. This meant there was the potential risk of unsafe and inconsistent care. The nominated individual and staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents or allegations of abuse. Cleanliness and hygiene were maintained throughout the home, which reduced the risk of infection. The provider ensured an appropriate number of staff were deployed in the home and operated an appropriate recruitment procedure.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The provider had appropriate arrangements to ensure all staff received training relevant to their role. New staff completed an induction training programme. People’s needs were assessed prior to them moving into the home. People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. People were supported to maintain their health and a visiting healthcare professional provided positive feedback about the service.
Staff treated people with kindness and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. Our observations during the inspection, were of positive interactions between staff and people who lived in the home. Staff were responsive to people’s needs. People were provided with appropriate activities and had access to a complaints procedure.
All people had a care plan which provided information about their needs and preferences. However, the care plans had not always been updated in line with changing needs.
The provider’s systems and quality assurance processes did not cover all aspects of the operation of the service and those in place were not always effective. The nominated individual was committed to the ongoing development of the service and assured us the necessary improvements would be made to the home.
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 03/12/2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was the first inspection of the service based on the registration of the home.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to the management of people’s medicines and the provider’s governance and quality assurance systems.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
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.