Quorn Orchards Care Home

Updated 28 July 2022

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.

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

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

Service and service type

Quorn Orchards Care Home 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. Quorn Orchards Care Home 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. We looked at notifications and any safeguarding alerts we had received for this service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law.

The provider had completed 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.

During the inspection

We looked around the service and met with the people who lived there. We spoke with four people to understand their views and experiences of the service and we observed how staff supported people. We spoke with five staff including the nominated individual, the registered manager and care staff. We contacted four relatives by telephone to gain their views about their family member's care and support.

We reviewed the care records of four people and a range of other documents. For example, medicine records, staff training records and records relating to the management of the service. We also looked at staff rotas, three staff recruitment folders and records relating to health and safety. After the inspection, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, including training information and key policies and procedures.

Updated 28 July 2022

About the service

Quorn Orchards Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 30 older people. At the time of our inspection, there were 27 people using the service.

During this inspection we carried out a separate thematic probe, which asked questions of the provider, people and their relatives, about the quality of oral health care support and access to dentists, for people living in the care home. This was to follow up on the findings and recommendations from our national report on oral healthcare in care homes that was published in 2019 called ‘Smiling Matters’. We will publish a follow up report to the 2019 'Smiling Matters' report, with up to date findings and recommendations about oral health, in due course.

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

Improvements were needed to records where people were at risk from poor skin integrity. The provider had not ensured effective contingency planning where work was in progress to improve and upgrade the environment, to ensure people were protected from the potential risk of harm. People's medicines were administered safely. Further improvements were needed to ensure all medicines were stored safely and in line with best practice guidance.

Oversight of the service required further development. The provider and registered manager had identified where improvements were required, though not all the concerns we found during the inspection had been identified.

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 were protected from abuse, systems and processes were in place to identify and report any abuse or harm. Staff were kind, caring and attentive and understood people's individual needs well. There were enough staff deployed to meet people's needs and keep them safe. People and relatives described a responsive, compassionate service led by an approachable and supportive registered manager.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 31 October 2019)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about care and support. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We found evidence the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of this report. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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

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