South Quay Care Home

Updated 13 April 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and a specialist advisor with a background in nursing.

Service and service type

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

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people and thirteen relatives about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed further interactions between staff and people in communal areas. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, regional manager, lead nurse, chef and care staff. We spoke with a visiting healthcare professional. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We contacted four further health and social care professionals.

Updated 13 April 2022

About the service

South Quay is a care home which provides accommodation and care for up to 58 people across two separate wings in a purpose-built building. One wing provided nursing and personal care for older people. The other wing provided nursing and personal care for those with a neurological condition. There were 45 people using the service at the time of inspection.

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

People and relatives spoke positively of staff and how they helped keep people safe.

Risks to people's health and safety were regularly assessed and monitored to ensure they were kept safe. The provider had safeguarding systems, policies and procedures in place to keep people safe. Staff understood these.

The environment was clean, safe and well maintained. There had been some recent refurbishments and the outdoor space was extremely well maintained.

Staff were recruited safely. They received ongoing training, supervision and competence checks to monitor their performance.

Medicines were managed safely by suitably trained staff. Systems and process were well established to ensure good practice was in place.

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 enjoyed mealtimes and the options available. People’s nutritional needs were well supported.

Activities had reduced during the pandemic and, more recently and significantly, during an outbreak. There was an activities coordinator and plans in place to increase the range of activities.

The registered manager had positive working relationships with external healthcare professionals. Staff worked well with specialists when people’s needs changed and more help was needed.

Staff said there had been improvements to the culture and felt they could talk to the registered manager. Staff morale had improved.

Clear systems were in place for sharing key information on a daily basis.

The registered manager had made a range of improvements to the service, notably a reduction in reliance on agency staffing, and improvements to record-keeping.

The provider had monitoring systems in place to identify trends and patterns after specific incidents.

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 18 May 2020 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service, under the previous provider, was requires improvement, published on 9 December 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.