Grasmere Rest Home

Updated 12 September 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 thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 25 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 12 September 2020

About the service: Grasmere Rest Home is a residential care home that was providing personal care to 19 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received care from staff who were exceptionally friendly, compassionate and caring. There was a strong person-centred culture that showed people were valued and respected. Because staffing was consistent, people and staff had opportunities to get to know one another well. Staff promoted inclusivity and encouraged people to form friendships. People felt comfortable and well supported as a result.

People received the support they needed to make choices about the care they received. This included accessible information about upcoming events. Staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

The provider had made improvements to the safety of the service since our last inspection in October 2016. There were regular checks to make sure the environment and equipment people used were safe. The premises were suitably adapted to meet people’s needs. People had individual, personalised risk assessments and risk management plans so staff knew how to care for them safely. This gave people the freedom to take positive risks such as going out by themselves. Staff knew how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. The provider took appropriate action in response to accidents and incidents, to reduce the risk of them happening again.

There were enough suitable staff to care for people safely. Staff received support and training to carry out their roles effectively. They followed best practice guidance to protect people from the risk of infection and knew how to manage medicines appropriately and in line with best practice.

People received enough nutritious food and drinks. People were able to access healthcare services when they needed to. The provider worked well with other services to make sure people’s healthcare needs were met.

The provider assessed people’s needs and planned care in line with best practice, consulting other agencies for information and advice when appropriate. The provider used information from assessments to plan person-centred care, involving people and their relatives in the process. People received compassionate care and support at the end of their lives.

Staff obtained people’s consent before providing care, or, where people did not have the capacity to consent, followed processes to ensure decisions made about people’s care were in their best interests and in line with legal requirements.

Staff supported people to choose and participate in various activities that kept them physically and mentally active and took their abilities and interests into account.

People knew how to complain if they needed to. The provider responded promptly to people’s complaints and used them to improve the service. They also used feedback from people, their relatives and stakeholders on a regular basis to help them make improvements. There were opportunities for people, relatives and staff to be involved in the running of the service. Leadership at the service was visible and well organised and staff worked well as a team. The registered manager was open and approachable.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection, this service was rated Good (published 17 November 2016)

Why we inspected: This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.