Cumberland Court

Updated 5 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Cumberland Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Cumberland Court is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. There was a new manager who had been in post for 1 month. They had previously been registered manager at the service and were planning to apply to register.

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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we reviewed the records of the home. These included recruitment records, accidents and incidents and quality assurance audits. We looked at medicine administration records, 4 care plans and risk assessments along with other relevant documentation to support our findings. We spoke with people who lived at the home and got feedback from 4 of them and 3 visitors. We spoke with 5 staff members, this included the provider and manager. We also contacted 3 health and social care professionals for feedback.

We observed people in areas throughout the home and could see the interaction between people and staff. We watched how people were being supported by staff in communal areas, this included the lunchtime meals.

Updated 5 July 2023

About the service

Cumberland Court is a residential care home providing accommodation and nursing care to up to 20 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

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

People’s care plans and records were not always well completed. The quality of the service was regularly monitored through audits. Where shortfalls were identified these were not always addressed in a timely way. We identified areas where further improvements were needed in relation to people receiving appropriate oral care and the general tidiness of the environment.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

People’s risks were managed safely. Staff knew people well and understood the risks associated with their care and support. People were protected from the risk of infection. Staff understood safeguarding risks and procedures and knew what to do if concerns were raised. People were supported to receive their medicines when they needed them. There were enough staff, who had been safely recruited, working in the service.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink throughout the day. Staff received regular training and supervision to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to support people. People were supported to maintain and improve their health with support from health care professionals.

There was a positive culture at the home. Feedback from people, visitors and staff was good. The provider and care manager were committed to improving and developing the service.

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 good (published 27 July 2019).

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the effective and well-led sections of this report.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to Need for Consent and Good Governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.