Background to this inspection
Updated
27 November 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
One inspector, one assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Stretton Hall Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We asked the local authority and Healthwatch for any information they had which would aid our inspection. Local authorities together with other agencies may have responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service, and four visitors, about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We spoke with eight members of staff including, two care assistants, a domestic staff member, the social life coordinator, the clinical lead, the registered manager, the chief operating officer, and the clinical governance manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and records of medicines administration. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. In addition, we looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including incident investigations and quality monitoring checks.
Updated
27 November 2019
About the service
Stretton Hall Nursing Home provides accommodation and nursing or personal care for up to 50 people. On the day of our inspection, 40 people were receiving services, some of whom were living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The management team did not always notify of us key events which occurred at Stretton Hall Nursing Home.
When a concern of potential abuse or ill-treatment was raised with the management team they delayed sharing this information with partnership agencies.
The management team and provider had systems in place to identify improvements and drive good care. However, these were not always effective as they failed to identify the issues we found at this inspection.
Staff members followed effective infection prevention and control procedures when supporting people. Staff members had access to, and used, appropriate personal protection equipment.
The provider had assessed the risks to people associated with their care and support. Staff members were knowledgeable about these risks and knew what to do to minimise the potential for harm to people.
People received safe support with their medicines by trained and competent staff members.
Staff members were aware of the necessary actions they should take in the event of an emergency.
The provider supported staff in providing effective care for people through person-centred care planning, training and one-to-one supervision.
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 at Stretton Hall Nursing Home supported this practice.
People had access to additional healthcare services when required.
People were supported to maintain a healthy diet by a staff team which knew their individual preferences.
People received help and support from a kind and compassionate staff team with whom they had developed positive relationships.
People were supported by staff members who were aware of their individual protected characteristics like age, gender and disability.
People were provided with information in a way they could understand. The provider had systems in place to encourage and respond to any complaints or compliments from people or those close to them.
The provider, and management team, had good links with the local communities within which people lived.
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 19 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to the providers failure to safeguard people from abuse or improper treatment and failure to notify the care quality commission of all incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who use their service.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.