Benslow Nursing Home

Updated 5 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection was carried out by one inspector on 24 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 5 March 2022

About the service: Benslow Nursing Home provides accommodation, nursing and personal care to older people. The care home accommodates up to 35 people in one purpose built building. At the time of the inspection 31 people were living there.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were happy at the service and were supported by staff who knew them well. People felt privacy and dignity was promoted. People were able to choose how to spend their time and encouraged to make decisions about their care. People’s care plans included information that gave staff information on how to support people. Agency staff were provided with a handbook so they were informed about people’s needs easily.

People told us they enjoyed the activities available. People had recently had the opportunity to go out and there were plans to develop this further. There were communal areas throughout the home which were all used regularly. Some areas of the home were being refurbished. People told us they liked the outcome.

The recruitment process and training systems meant people were supported by staff who were suitable to work in a care setting and equipped for their role. Staff told us that they felt supported. People’s view on staffing was that in most cases there was enough staff to meet their needs. Staff told us that in most cases there was enough staff, at times in staff absence they were busy but they prioritised care needs. On the day of inspection people had their needs met in a timely fashion.

People had their individual risks assessed and staff were aware of these. People were supported safely. People received their medicines when needed and these were managed safely. People told us that personal care needs were met in a way they liked. People told us that staff were kind and they were confident to speak up if they had any concerns.

The provider had systems in place to help them identify and resolve any issues in the home. The registered manager was known throughout the home and people and staff were positive about them. All staff were clear about what was expected of them and any lessons learned from events or incidents.

The service met the characteristics for a rating of "Good" in all key questions.

More information about our inspection findings is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection on the 20 September 2016 the service was rated as Good in four key questions and Requires Improvement in one key question. The rating for Responsive has improved at this inspection.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure it provides safe and effective care. We will plan further inspections in the future.