Larchwood Care Home

Updated 7 December 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert by experience. The expert by experience had experience of supporting older people.

Service and service type

Larchwood 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 that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and the quality and safety of the care provider.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included any safeguarding referrals and statutory notification that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

The provider had completed a provider information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, the area manager, ten members of staff and one professional who visiting a person who lived in the service. We spoke with seven people living in the service and ten family members. We reviewed care and support plans, medication administration records, recruitment files, staffing rotas and records relating to the quality and safety monitoring of the service.

After the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager about what we had found and the actions that they were taking.

Updated 7 December 2019

Larchwood Care Home is a residential care home supporting older people and people with a diagnosis of dementia. There were 63 people living at the service when we visited but the service can accommodate up to 64 people. Larchwood is purpose-built service and has three self-contained units, called Cedar, Chestnut and Rowan.

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

People told us that they were happy living in the service and staff were kind and caring.

Staff were observed to be busy and they told us that there wasn’t always enough staff. Following the inspection, the registered manager told us that they had reviewed people’s needs and the levels of dependency and intended to increase staffing numbers. We have made a recommendation about how they calculate staffing levels.

Systems were in place for the safe storage and supply of medicines, but these were not working effectively as one person had not been receiving their medicines and this had not been escalated as required. Action was taken by the registered manager on the day of the inspection.

Risk assessments detailed people's individual risks such as, mobility, risk of falls and malnutrition. However, further work was needed to ensure robust assessment and monitoring for people with a catheter. Following the inspection, the registered manager confirmed that they had changed the system in place.

There were clear systems in place to recruit staff and ensure their suitability before they started work at the service. Staff received training to develop their skills and enable them to meet people’s needs.

When an incident occurred, this was investigated, and lessons learnt where appropriate. The service worked closely with external health and social care professionals to achieve good outcomes for people.

Meals were nicely presented and looked appetising and people told us that that they enjoyed the food.

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.

People received care which was responsive to their needs and preferences and staff knew people well.

People were supported to be as independent as possible and had access to a range of social opportunities to reduce the risk of social isolation.

Feedback from people and relatives was considered through a range of systems such as surveys, care reviews and meetings.

The provider had a framework to monitor performance and drive improvement. This included the collection and analysis of data as well as regular audits. However, the audits had not identified all the areas we found, and we have made a recommendation about how they are undertaken.

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 09 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Larchwood Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.