8 November 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
The White House Residential Care Home is a care home providing accommodation for up to 16 people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 10 people living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We received information of concern following the unexpected unavailability of the service's registered manager. People told us the service was not being properly managed and there was ineffective oversight by the provider. Concerns in relation to the operation of the home had been raised with the CQC and local authority safeguarding department and there was a potential issue around the stability of the service. Before the inspection, we spoke with a provider representative to seek reassurances and liaised with colleagues in the local authority.
The local authority was the primary agency dealing with any safety issues arising out of the concerns that had been raised. There was no evidence to support CQC should use its authority to investigate specific incidents. We inspected the home to see how care and support was being provided and how the service was being managed against the information the provider had shared with us.
During the inspection we noted people were safe and comfortable. People said they were happy and felt safe.
The provider needed to have contingencies in place to deal with unexpected stresses on the service such as the unavailability of staff.
Staff told us people were being kept safe and this was their priority. However, they needed certainty around who was managing the home and a timeframe for this to happen.
At inspection, the provider representative was interviewing for the home's manager. An action plan was being developed dealing with oversight of the service, concerns the provider was addressing and when it was expected the service would reach a position of management stability.
The provider representative was working closely with the local safeguarding team to reflect on oversight of the service and the identification of any risks to people.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 4 August 2023).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in response to concerns received about the lack of management and oversight. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine associated risks.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question. At this inspection, there was limited evidence people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the 'well-led' section of this report for further details.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The White House Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.