West Cotes Residential Care Home

West Cotes Residential Care Home is a care home providing personal care to 10 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 17 people.

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

Most infection control guidance was being followed. However, staff were not consistently checking their temperatures at the start of each shift.

Management of the home had improved and audits were in place. However, some planned actions were vague. More time was needed to ensure that the systems to monitor care were embedded in the management of the home.

Relatives felt their loved one was safe living at the home. Risks were identified and managed, including those relating to medicines and nutrition. Appropriate checks were undertaken to ensure staff were safe to work with people living at the home.

Staff had received training to ensure they could meet people’s needs safely and there were enough staff available to provide timely care to people. 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 ensured that people were able to make choices in their everyday lives and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff took time to get to know the people they cared for.

Care plans reflected people’s needs and identified any communication needs they may have. People had been supported to maintain contact with their relatives through the COVID-19 pandemic. There had been no complaints made to 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

This service was registered with us on 07/01/2020, it was inspected in August 2020 and December 2020 but not rated.

The provider was required to make improvements after the August 2020 inspection. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Inadequate, published on 08/11/2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. We completed a comprehensive inspection as the service had not been rated 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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.

We found the following examples of good practice.

• A process was in place to ensure visitors were screened prior to them entering the service.

• Where restrictions on visiting had been implemented due to the outbreak, people were supported to stay in touch with relatives and friends using technology and telephone calls. Relatives were kept informed during the outbreak by the registered manager.

• Sufficient stocks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were in place including masks, gloves, aprons, hand sanitiser and visors. Staff were wearing this appropriately.

• The service's Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) policy was up to date and in line with current guidance.

• The service had plans in place and knew how to respond to an outbreak of infection to ensure the safety of people and staff.

• A regular programme of testing for COVID-19 was in place for staff and people who lived in the service.

• People admitted to the service were supported following government guidance on managing new admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Enhanced cleaning took place daily. The environment was clean and hygienic.

• Staff were provided with training in current IPC guidance and in the use of PPE. There were designated areas for donning and doffing of PPE and handwashing facilities were available for staff to use.

• Monitoring systems were in place to ensure IPC and PPE guidance was adhered to.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

West Cotes Residential Care Home is a residential care home. It was providing personal care to 13 people aged 65 and over when we visited the home. The service can support up to 17 people in one adapted building.

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

People were not always protected from the risk of infection. Staff did not adhere to national guidelines and good practice in the use of personal protective equipment. This increased the risk of infection spreading in the home.

The audits in place to monitor the quality of care provided were not effective in driving improvements in the care people received. Medicines were not managed safely and environmental risks to people had not been fully identified.

Care plans had been developed to support staff in providing safe care for people. However, some had information and risk assessments about specific areas of care missing.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff training had been delayed due to COVID 19, but the registered manager had identified online training for staff to complete instead. Staff knew how to keep people safe from abuse and were confident to raise concerns with the registered manager or external agencies.

The registered manager was approachable and had gathered the views of people using the service and their relatives to identify areas for improvement. People and their relatives knew how to raise a complaint and would feel confident to do so if needed.

People’s ability to access information was recorded and information was available in different formats.

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 7 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Inadequate, published on 8 November 2019.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous provider’s rating.

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.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to the infection control practices in the home and the oversight and governance in the home at this inspection. 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.