Archived: Coppice Court Care Home

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This was an unannounced inspection which was undertaken on the 25 and 30 July 2014.

The home provided nursing care and support for up to 57 people on two separate units. The unit on the ground floor provided care and treatment for people who had a dementia type illness. The first floor provided nursing care for older people and had up to ten allocated beds contracted to provide post-operative therapy (rehabilitation) for people who had undergone orthopaedic surgery. For the purpose of this inspection report the ground floor will be referred to as the dementia unit and the first floor will be referred to as the nursing unit.

At the time of the inspection visit 48 people were living in the home. The home had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People and their relatives told us they felt they were safe living at Coppice Court Nursing Centre. One person said, “Yes, I feel safe from everything.” Staff had received safeguarding vulnerable adults training and staff were able to tell us what they would do if they had any concerns. Staff had received training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and senior staff were familiar with holding relevant meetings when people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. These meetings involved professionals and representatives to make decisions that took account of people’s best interests.

Care documentation contained individual risk assessments in order to keep people safe. We saw from staffing rotas that there was a stable and consistent staffing level. Staff spoken with knew people well and there were systems in place to share information on people. However, records for the people receiving rehabilitation were not consistent and accurate and did not provide clear guidance for staff to follow.

Staff told us they felt that there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs, although this did not take account of all social needs. One staff member said, “There are enough staff to provide good care, staff just need to be well organised.” We noted that call bells were not always responded to in a timely manner, which could put people at risk. This was raised with the registered manager for improvement.

People were encouraged or supported to make their own decisions about their food. There were systems in place to assess people’s nutritional status and to monitor and support people to eat a nutritional diet. For some people on the dementia unit the support provided did not ensure healthy eating. This was raised with the registered manager for improvement.

Care records and discussion with visiting professionals showed us that people had access to other health care professionals as and when required. Staff followed guidance from these professionals and sought additional advice when necessary.

People were cared for by kind and caring staff. Staff knew people well and responded to them individually. One person said, “They are so kind with my dad and everybody else.” There was a good level of activity and interaction taking place in the home for most people. The activity co-ordinator knew people well and facilitated activity and entertainment within and outside of the home. Links with the local church were provided and advertised in the home’s newsletter. The activity and entertainment for people on the nursing unit was not so well developed and the registered manager was aware of this and was reorganising the activity staff to address this area. Visitors told us that they were warmly welcomed and felt they could come to the home at any reasonable time. This helped to ensure people had access to the community, friends and relatives.

People were given information on how to make a complaint. People, their relatives and staff told us that they were able to raise a compliant easily and that they felt it would be dealt with effectively.

The registered manager and regional quality manager carried out regular audits. A review of satisfaction with the use of questionnaires was undertaken. Staff meetings and relative and residents meetings were minuted. This showed us that the provider checked that the service provided the care and treatment in an appropriate and safe way and that where necessary, improvements were made.