Galsworthy House Nursing Home

Updated 30 August 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was unannounced and carried out by two inspectors, a specialist nurse and Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager in post who was in the process to register with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we looked at information we held about the service, including notifications they had made to us about important events. We asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We visited the care home on 31 July 2019 and spoke to five people, seven relatives and a healthcare professional asking for their feedback about the service delivery. We also talked to the regional manager, manager of the service, deputy manager/lead nurse, 13 staff members, head of maintenance, and chef working for the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records, staff files, training, recruitment, medicine records and other documents relating to the service delivery.

People using the service had complex communication disabilities and were not able to communicate their views to us, so we also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at data relating to training and fire safety.

We contacted two healthcare professionals asking for their feedback about the service.

Updated 30 August 2019

About the service

Galsworthy House Nursing Home is a residential care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to 72 people, many of whom have physical disabilities and are living with dementia. At the time of this inspection, 59 people were receiving support from this service.

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

Although staff had not recently completed training in mental health awareness, they had guidance on how to support people safely. Care records lacked information related to personal information about people and discussions that staff had with people about their end of life wishes. The management team told us that these areas of concern will be addressed immediately.

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. However, the mental capacity assessments, carried during the initial assessment process, were not in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The management team reassured us that systems would be reviewed to address this.

Staff were aware of the provider’s procedures to support people safely if they noticed them being at risk of harm and abuse or when incidents and accidents took place. Potential risks to people were highlighted to guide staff as necessary. Pre-employment checks took place to ensure that suitable staff was employed for the job. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff understood their responsibility to provide hygienic care for people.

Staff had support to discuss their development needs and the support they required to perform in their role well. People’s health and nutritional needs were identified and met as necessary.

People told us they were well treated, and that staff were kind and caring. Staff supported people to make everyday choices about the care they wanted to receive. People had their spiritual, cultural and religious needs identified which helped them to feel valued. People’s independence was enhanced and supported as necessary.

Care records included relevant information about people, including their personal care and communication needs. People felt they could complain about the service delivery if they needed to. Staff sensitively approached people who were at the end stages of their life, so they could remain comfortable for as long as possible.

Although recent changes in management had affected the service delivery, issues were picked up by the management team who took action to improve where necessary. Systems were in place to guide staff in their role and to monitor the care being delivered for people. The staff team were involved in care planning and followed procedures to ensure good communication 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 good (published 29 July 2017).

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.