We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bowley Court 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 Bowley Court, you can give feedback on this service.
Bowley Court is a care home providing nursing care for up to 20 people. It specialises in supporting people who have complex neurological needs including Huntington’s Disease, acquired brain injury (for example, due to a head injury or stroke) or people with mental health needs who also have physical disabilities. Care and support are provided in one adapted building and there were 17 people using the service at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People's safety risks and needs had been identified and plans in place to facilitate risk reduction. Staff knew what actions to take in the event of any safeguarding concerns and were confident senior staff would take action to protect people. There were sufficient staff to meet people's safety needs, however, the manager and provider recognised additional recruitment would enable staff to support people to spending more time doing things they enjoyed. People were supported by staff who had been trained to provide them with the medicines they need to remain well.
There had been changes to staff managing the location since our last inspection. The new manager had started their application to become registered with the CQC. The manager was developing their checks to include further spot checks at different times. The provider was also reviewing accidents and significant events.
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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection.
The last rating for this service was good (report published 27 November 2020).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staff culture. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
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.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Bowley Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Bowley Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to people living with either Huntington’s Disease, acquired brain injury or mental health needs who may also have a physical disability. Care and support are provided in one adapted building and there were 19 people using the service at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 20 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Since our last inspection the provider had implemented robust systems for recording and monitoring the management of medicines. Risks to people's health had been identified, assessed and monitored to ensure people received safe care. Staff understood how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report. The provider had a robust recruitment process. People were kept safe form the risk of infections.
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.
The manager completed regular checks to ensure the people received high quality care. People knew how to complain and were confident they would be listened too.
Quality assurance and monitoring systems were now in place to help drive improvements at the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 17 July 2019).
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last 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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Bowley Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Bowley Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 20 people in one purpose-built building. It specialises in supporting people who have Huntington’s Disease, acquired brain injury or mental health needs, who may also have physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection, there were 20 people living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider’s risk assessments procedures in relation to risks associated with people’s individual care and support needs were not sufficiently effective. A more robust and accurate system was needed for recording and monitoring the administration of people’s topical medicines. Staff were clear how to identify and report abuse. The provider followed safe recruitment procedures. People were protected from the risk of infections.
People’s individual needs were assessed before they moved into the home. Staff received ongoing training and management support to enable them to work safely and effectively. People had enough to eat and drink and any associated risks were managed with appropriate specialist input. Staff worked effectively with community health and social care professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people and ensure their health needs were met. 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.
Staff knew the people they supported well and adopted a caring approach towards their work. People were encouraged to express their views about the care provided, and these were listened to. People were treated with dignity and respect at all times.
People’s care plans were individual to them, covered key aspects of their care needs and promoted a person-centred approach. People had support to participate in a range of therapeutic, social and recreational activities. People and their relatives understood how to raise any concerns or complaints with the provider. People’s wishes and choices about their end of life care were assessed and acted upon.
The provider’s quality assurance systems and processes were not as effective as they needed to be. They had not enabled the provider to ensure staff always maintained accurate and complete records of people’s care, or ensured a consistent approach to risk assessment. The management team promoted effective engagement with people, their relatives and community professionals. Staff felt well-supported and valued by an approachable management team.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 15 September 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
Bowley Court provides nursing care for up to 20 people. It specialises in supporting people who have either, Huntington’s Disease, acquired brain injury or people with mental health needs who also have physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people living at the home.
A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people’s safety. Staff understood risks associated with people’s needs and how to keep them safe. There were enough staff on duty to respond to people’s health needs at the times when they needed support. The provider completed checks to ensure staff were suitable and safe to work at the home.
People were treated with dignity and respect and staff were kind and caring in their approach with people. People had care and support that was centred on them as individuals and their independence and freedom of choice were promoted and supported.
People had end of life care that had been recognised by a national organisation as being of the highest standard with emphasis on people’s wishes and respecting them to the end of their lives.
People’s health needs were responded to effectively with people being supported to access doctors and other health professionals when required. People had daily access to health professionals like neurologists, psychiatrists, doctors, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. People were supported to have their medicines when needed. Medicines were stored and administered appropriately.
People had access to a varied diet of food and drink. People were supported to have their food and drink safely. Where recommendations had been made by other professionals regarding their diet or health needs these had been acted upon by staff.
Staff understood people’s individual communication styles and were able to communicate effectively with people. People’s permission was sought before any care or support was given. Time was taken to make sure that people could make choices and decisions about the care and support they received.
People were supported by staff that had the knowledge and skills to understand and meet their health needs. Staff had access to additional training to match people’s specific health needs. Staff felt that they were able to contact the registered manager at any time if they needed support or guidance.
People and their relatives found the staff and management approachable, willing to listen to their views and opinions. People knew how to complain and who to complain to. Feedback from the people and their relatives was gathered on a regular basis and any areas identified for action were acted upon. Audits and checks were completed regularly to ensure that good standards were maintained.
Relatives and staff told us the registered manager was approachable and was willing to listen to their views and opinions. Relatives and staff views on the care and support provided was gathered on a regular basis. There had been recent improvements made to how feedback was used to identify any areas for action or improvements to be made. A range of audits and checks were also completed regularly to ensure that good standards were maintained.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.
This is a summary of what we found.
Is the service safe?
The people who lived in the home told us they were pleased with the care provided. They felt that their views were respected and listened to.
We saw that staff had received specialist training in the handling of difficult behaviours. This was to protect people's physical wellbeing as well as their human rights and dignity.
CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. While nobody was currently subject to a DoLS proper policies and procedures were in place. Relevant staff have been trained to understand when an application should be made and how to submit one.
Is the service effective?
People told us that they were happy with the support they received. They told us that the registered manager and the staff had asked them what their needs and wishes were and how they would like them met. One person said, 'We talk about what I want'.
Personal records confirmed people's needs and preferences had been recorded and support had been provided in accordance with their wishes.
People told us they were happy to discuss their support with staff. They said that staff obtained help for them if they were unwell. This meant people were helped to keep in good health, have access to health care services and received ongoing support.
Is the service caring?
People we talked with told us their wishes were respected and they were able to live their lives as they wished. Staff took the time to find out about people's background. Staff knew people's needs well and how they needed to be supported. This meant that staff cared about the person as an individual and were concerned about their well-being.
Is the service responsive?
People had been assessed before they moved into the home so that arrangements could be made to meet their needs.
People told us they talked with the registered manager and the staff about what was important to them. They talked about the activities they took part in and their meals. They told us that their support plans had been changed as a result.
Is the service well led?
The registered manager and the staff demonstrated values that promoted involvement, openness, dignity, respect and independence. We talked with staff who showed they understood those values as they discussed their role and responsibilities in their work. This meant the service promoted an open culture that was centred on the individual and empowered them to take control of their life as much as they were able.