Hatt House

Hatt House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 21 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 24 people.

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

At the last inspection in January 2021 we found people were not always protected from the spread of infection. During this inspection we found safe infection prevention and control systems and processes in place.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report concerns.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the staff at the service, describing them as kind and caring. Staff treated people with dignity, respect and treated them as individuals. Where able, people were supported to maintain their independence. Staff knew the people they were supporting well.

People were supported by staff who knew how to manage risks to keep people safe. Staff were safely recruited and there were enough staff available to support people. Medicines were given in a safe way.

People received support by appropriately trained staff. Training provided to staff was individual to the needs of the people they supported. Staff were well supported and received the supervision they needed.

People were happy with the meals they were provided with and had access to healthcare services where required.

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's care was responsive to their needs, choices and preferences. Each person had a personalised care plan.

The service was well led and had an open culture which encouraged communication and learning. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service, and it was used to drive improvement.

Quality assurance audits were carried out to identify any shortfalls within the service and how the service could improve.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 02/12/2019 under the new provider.

We received information of concern and carried out a targeted inspection in January 2021 where we found a breach of regulation. The service was not given a rating at this time.

This inspection is the services’ first rated inspection and we covered all Key Lines of Enquiry.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 29 April 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection and rate an unrated service.

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.

Hatt House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 24 older people in one adapted building. At the time of the inspection 21 people were using the service.

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

People were not always protected from the risk and spread of infection. We were not assured that Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was communicated at inspection and the registered manager was supported to take immediate and appropriate action to address the concerns.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the home; however, current published infection control guidance was not fully adhered to by the registered manager and staff team. We made a recommendation to the provider about this.

People were supported by kind staff who knew them well and knew how to keep them safe. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment and staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns.

Risks, such as those associated with the environment and people's physical and/or health needs, had been assessed and were being managed safely.

Medicines were administered safely, and records demonstrated that people had received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs.

The registered manager and staff promoted a positive culture within the service. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and felt well supported.

Relatives were positive about the management of the service and communication they had received from the service during the pandemic.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was registered with us with a new provider on 2 December 2019 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good (published 30 April 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted due to concerns received about infection control. 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 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.

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 a breach in relation to Infection Prevention Control. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Full information about CQC's regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

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.