David Gresham House

Updated 3 April 2020

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

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

David Gresham House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 that 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

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, this included notifications that had been sent through to us. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, activities co-ordinator, chef, senior care workers and care workers. We also spoke with one volunteer and one visiting healthcare professional. 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 reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records.

Updated 3 April 2020

About the service

David Gresham House is a residential care home without nursing providing accommodation and personal care to 25 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 29 people in one adapted building.

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

People were kept safe at David Gresham House by staff who well trained and experienced. Staff followed robust policies and procedures which ensured people were kept safe from avoidable harm. Staff were knowledgeable in how to report safeguarding concerns. The environment was kept safe and clean, and clear infection control practises were in place.

People were supported to keep a balanced diet, and where necessary were supported with taking their medicines by staff that completed regular competency checks. People had access to a range of activities that were organised by an activities co-ordinator and designed around people’s hobbies. People received care appropriate to their needs and risks were well managed and monitored.

People told us staff were kind and caring and this was seen through interactions during the inspection. Staff were seen to respect people’s privacy and maintained their dignity when providing support. Staff respected equality and diversity.

The registered manager and staff worked well with other professionals to ensure people received effective support. People had access to health and social care professionals and were supported to attend appointments where necessary.

There were quality assurance audits to ensure any trends or patterns were identified. Staff and the registered manager were aware of their responsibilities. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and all staff took part in regular 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 in the service supported this practice.

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 August 2017).

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.