Westbrook House Integrated Care Centre

Updated 14 November 2020

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.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

The service had been identified for use by the Local Authority as a designated care setting in response to the Winter Plan for people discharged from hospital with a positive Covid-19 status. This inspection was to ensure that the service was compliant with infection control and prevention measures.

This inspection took place on 20 October 2020 and was announced.

Updated 14 November 2020

About the service

Westbrook House Integrated Care Centre is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for older people. The service can support up to 60 people. At the time of the inspection not all the accommodation was being used. There were two units open for up to 30 people in total. One unit provided ten short term enablement beds to support people to develop their independence in order to return to their home. There were six people in this unit during the inspection. The other unit provided short term assessment and respite for up to 15 people living with dementia. There were seven people in this unit during the inspection.

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

At the last inspection there were concerns suitable arrangements had not been made to support people to safely manage catheters and to support people living with diabetes. At this inspection these risks were well managed, and staff had received training in these areas. People told us they felt safe. Risks to people were identified, assessed and managed safely. The environment was safe as health and safety and the risk of fire was well managed. At the last inspection there were concerns that ‘as required’ medicines were not managed safely, and the provider had not ensured medicines were stored at safe temperatures. At this inspection these medicines and storage temperatures were managed well. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

At the last inspection the provider’s quality audits had not identified the shortfalls we found at the inspection. At this inspection the provider had ensured the delivery of high quality and safe care. Quality assurance systems were used effectively to monitor all aspects of the service. The management team analysed all feedback to ensure any improvements needed were made. The management team and provider had clearly understood their role and responsibilities and had met all their regulatory requirements.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff knew their responsibilities for this. Allegations of abuse were effectively reported, investigated, and appropriate action was taken to ensure people were protected from any further harm. There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. Staff responded promptly to people’s needs and people were supported by a consistent staff team. Staff were recruited safely.

The service was clean. Cleaning checklists were in place and completed and this was monitored by the management team. Staff knew how to prevent the spread of infection. Accidents and incidents were recorded, monitored and action was taken to prevent a reoccurrence. These were analysed for any lessons learnt.

People's needs were fully assessed, and the service achieved a lot of positive outcomes for people who had been enabled to return home. People's nutrition and hydration needs were met, specialist dietary needs were known, and the associated risks were managed. People were given a good variety of choice in their meals and were encouraged to drink enough. People were supported to maintain good health and the management team worked closely and flexibly with other health professionals and agencies to ensure people had access to the health care they needed.

The provider had ensured the service's facilities were accessible and comfortable and met people's needs including those people living with dementia. Staff had a good induction to the service and received appropriate training and regular updates to care for people. Staff were competent, knowledgeable and skilled in their roles and were supported by the management team.

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 told us the staff were caring and they were happy with the care they received. Staff treated people with respect, were engaged with people and responded to their needs. People’s needs around equality and diversity were promoted. People were asked about their views on their care and these were used to make improvements to the service. People were involved with their care planning and staff showed a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences. People told us their privacy and dignity were respected and information about people was held securely. People were encouraged to maintain and increase their independence.

People’s care plans were person centred as they had involved the person and those important to them. This meant people had choice and control over their care. People's communication needs were known and understood by staff and information was shared with people in ways which met their needs. People could make a complaint if they needed to. All complaints were logged and responded to appropriately and had been used to make improvements to the service.

People were supported to maintain relationships which were important to them and encouraged to take part in activities they liked, and which were meaningful to them. The service was not supporting anyone at the end of their life at the time of the inspection. People’s wishes and arrangements for their end of life care were recorded, where known.

There was an open and person-centred culture in the service. Staff told us the management team were approachable, and they could raise any concerns with them. The management team demonstrated a commitment to ensuring they provided person centred and high-quality care and were responsive to feedback during our inspection. The management team understood their responsibilities for the duty of candour, had informed the relevant people of any incidents or accidents; and provided written apologies in response to complaints.

People and those important to them were engaged with the service. Visitors could complete feedback forms, and these were used to make improvements. Staff were engaged with the service and staff surveys showed positive results. The staff and management team worked in partnership with other healthcare services to ensure people’s needs were fully met in a timely way.

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 13 March 2019) and there were two breaches of regulations. 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

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.