Heathlands Care Home

Updated 14 October 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector, 2 pharmacy inspectors, a specialist nurse advisor and an 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

Heathlands Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Heathlands Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for 3 months and had submitted an application to register. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of Inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 29 June 2023 and ended on 21 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 people who used the service and 5 relatives. We spoke with 14 staff including the operations manager, manager, clinical manager, clinical support officer, administrator, maintenance person, chef, activities coordinator, head of housekeeping, 4 nurses, an assistant nurse and 3 healthcare assistants. We looked at a range of management records including, medicines, quality audits and building safety certificates. We reviewed 7 people’s care records including risk assessments and 7 staff recruitment records. After the site visit, we continued to liaise with the service. The registered manager sent us documentation we asked for and clarified any queries we had.

Updated 14 October 2023

About the service

Heathlands is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 84 older people who may be living with dementia. The care home accommodates people in a single adapted building spread over three floors. There were 72 people using the service at the time of this inspection.

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

People were safeguarded from the risk of harm or abuse. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. People had risk assessments to reduce the risk of harm they may face. Building safety checks were carried out as required. People were protected from the risks associated from the spread of infection. The provider had a system in place to learn lessons from accidents, incidents and complaints.

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 had their care needs assessed prior to admission. Staff were supported with regular training opportunities, supervision and appraisals. People’s nutritional, hydration and healthcare needs were met. The service had an ongoing maintenance and refurbishment programme in place.

We observed caring interactions between staff and people using the service. People’s cultural and religious needs were met. Staff understood how to form positive relationships with the people they supported. People and relatives were involved in decision making about their care. Staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

Care records were detailed and personalised. There were a variety of activities offered to people and plans in place to enhance what was offered. People’s communication needs were met. The provider had a complaints procedure and complaints were dealt with appropriately. People’s end of life care wishes were documented.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership in the service. The provider had meetings with people, relatives and staff where they could be updated on the service development. The provider worked jointly with healthcare professionals to improve outcomes for people.

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 12 September 2018).

Why we inspected

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

Recommendations

We have made 3 recommendations in relation to medicines management, the dining experience and communication.

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.