The Hawthorns

Updated 23 February 2021

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 the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 03 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 23 February 2021

About the service

The Hawthorns is registered to provide personal care and accommodation to a maximum of 22 older people. At the time of the inspection 18 people lived at the home.

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

Risks relating to people’s individual circumstances were known and managed in order to minimise the risk of accidents and injury. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and safe recruitment processes were in place. Relatives and staff felt that adequate staff were provided to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe. People received their medicines as they had been prescribed. Infection prevention processes reduced the risk of people contracting and spreading infections.

Induction training was in place to introduce new staff to their role and to the people they were to support. Training had been received by staff and was generally refreshed in line with the provider's timeframes. People were supported by staff who knew their personal preferences and individual needs well. People were encouraged, where possible, to make decisions about their care and support. People and their relatives were involved in decision making relating to their family member where this was appropriate. 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 were offered the food and drink that they liked, and staff encouraged people to take a healthy diet. Referrals were made to healthcare professionals where required to ensure people's health needs were met.

People and their relatives felt staff were kind and caring and treated people with respect and dignity. People were encouraged to develop and maintain their independence skills. Relatives could visit their family member when they wanted to and were welcomed by staff. People were supported and enabled to maintain contact with their families.

Reviews of people’s care and support needs were undertaken regularly. People and their relatives were included in these processes to ensure all needs were determined and addressed. Relatives felt confident and comfortable to raise any complaints they had with the staff or registered manager. Relatives confirmed they were kept up to date with important information relating to their family member.

People and their relatives felt the service worked well and was well-led. Audits were undertaken to determine what the service did well and where corrective action was required. The registered manager was visible within the service and people and their relatives were aware of who they were. The registered manager understood their regulatory responsibilities and their requirement to provide us (CQC) with notifications about important events and incidents that occurred whilst the service was delivering care.

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 01 December 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.