Tandridge Heights

Updated 28 January 2021

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 one assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Tandridge Heights 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.

The service had a manager registered 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from 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 who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, regional director, nurses and care assistants. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 28 January 2021

About the service

Tandridge Heights is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 60 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 75 people. Tandridge Heights accommodates people over three separate floors. One of the floors specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

People told us they felt safe living in the service. Relatives gave us positive feedback about the safety and quality of care.

The service was clean, tidy and odour free. We saw staff wearing face masks at all times during our visit and there were robust infection control processes being followed. Thorough health and safety checks were taking place on equipment and the environment. People had accurate records in place detailing their care and support needs.

We heard positive feedback about the registered manager. People had confidence in how the service was being run and how the provider had handled the risks of COVID-19. Action was taken to effectively engage with stakeholders and ensure their views were included in the ongoing development of 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 25 November 2019).

Why we inspected

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.

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection control. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks

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. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the Well-led section of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Tandridge Heights on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.