21 September 2016
During a routine inspection
Highgrove Care Home is a 78 bed nursing home, providing care to older adults with a range of support and care needs. At the time of the inspection there were 31 people living at the home. The home is divided into four discrete units, although the provider had stopped using two of the units and therefore only two were in use at the time of the inspection.
Highgrove Care Home is located in Mexborough, a small town in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The home is known locally as Highgrove Manor. It is in its own grounds in a quiet, residential area, but close to public transport links.
At the time of the inspection, the service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff interacted with people warmly and with respect. People’s privacy and dignity was upheld when staff were carrying out care tasks. Care plans were devised in such a way as to ensure that good care was supported effectively. Where people’s health needs changed, the provider responded promptly, engaging external healthcare professionals and altering the way people were cared for, as required.
There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk of abuse and to assess and monitor potential risks to individual people. Recruitment processes were safe and we saw there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.
The provider had appropriate arrangements to make sure people received their medications safely, although some improvements were required. We also noted that some staff needed to make improvements to their hygiene practices.
People told us they enjoyed their meals at the home, and our observations corroborated this. People’s nutrition and hydration were closely monitored to ensure they maintained good health.
The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that it adhered to the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005
There was a comprehensive programme of activities, both in the home and within the community.
There were thorough systems in place for auditing the service, to ensure that people received care which was safe and of a good quality.
Staff told us they felt well supported to undertake their roles, although the provider’s formal supervision programme was not yet fully embedded.