The Wingfield

Updated 25 March 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

This inspection was undertaken by 2 inspectors 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

The Wingfield 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. The Wingfield 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 the 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 and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. After the inspection we were informed that the registered manager had left the service and had submitted an application to us to de-register. We will liaise with the provider to ascertain the ongoing managerial arrangements at the service.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 8 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff, including the manager, regional director, nurses, care staff and housekeeping and catering staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included care plans and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff support. A variety of records relating to the management of the service including quality auditing, were reviewed. We spoke to 2 health and social care professionals about their experiences of the service.

Updated 25 March 2023

The Wingfield is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 89 people. Some people have nursing needs and others are living with dementia. The home is made up of two buildings, The Lodge and Memory Lane. At the time of the inspection there were 58 people living at the service.

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

Staffing levels had been reviewed, yet feedback about staffing numbers from people and their relatives remained variable.

New staff had been employed, which had reduced agency use. Recruitment checks had been completed, but there were discrepancies in some of the information. This did not demonstrate a robust recruitment process was being followed.

Records did not show some people’s fluid intake was being effectively monitored. The registered manager responded to this feedback and on the second day of the inspection, all records were fully completed.

Improvements had been made to infection prevention and control. The home was clean, and systems such as auditing, and staff training were in place.

People felt safe at the home and staff knew how to identify and act on potential abuse. Any safeguarding concerns were appropriately reported.

Risks people faced had been identified and assessed, with action taken to ensure safety.

Improvements had been made to the management of medicines, which ensured people received their medicines as prescribed.

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.

Improvements had been made to care planning and staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs. People and their relatives were generally happy with the care provided.

People knew how to raise a concern or formal complaint. They were encouraged to be honest if not happy about the service, so improvements could be made.

Improvements had been made to the overall management of the home. The registered manager at the time of the inspection had provided clear leadership and direction to drive improvement.

There were a range of audits to identify and assess the quality and safety of the service. Senior managers monitored these and completed regular audits themselves.

Systems were in place to encourage people, relatives and staff to give their views about the service. Social activities were arranged, and people were encouraged to be part of the local community.

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

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published August 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of Regulations.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s care and delays in responding to people’s call bells.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and responsive sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service has changed to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

Recommendations

We made two recommendations for the provider to review the recruitment practice within the home, to ensure it was undertaken in line with their recruitment policy and ensure that they keep staffing levels under review .

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.