Half Acre Care Home

Updated 13 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two Inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service

Service and service type

Half Acre 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. Half Acre 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. However, they were not present during the inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. We visited the service on the 14 and 15 June 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the health protection and local authority quality monitoring teams who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers 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 spoke with eight people who used the service and the relative of one person, to seek their feedback about the service provided. We also spoke briefly with a visiting community nurse.

We spoke with seven members of staff. These included the regional manager, deputy manager, care staff, the cook, maintenance man and activity staff.

We reviewed a range of records. These included the care records for four people, four staff recruitment files, audits and monitoring systems and health and safety checks. We also looked at the management and administration of people’s prescribed medicines.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 13 July 2022

About the service

Half Acre Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 32 older people who require personal care, some of whom live with dementia. The home is purpose built with single bedroom accommodation on three floors. Half Acre is close to Radcliffe and Bury town centres and easily accessible to public transport. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people living at the home

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

Feedback from people and visitors was positive about the care and support people received. Staff were described as friendly, caring and respectful. Our observations supported what we had been told.

Individual care plans were in place. Work was being completed to further enhance plans providing personalised information about people’s individual needs and wishes. Where risks had been identified these had been assessed and planned for. 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 supported to follow routines of their choosing. Activity staff and on-line resources were available to help promote people’s well-being. The home was to explore further opportunities with regards to people’s sexuality and cultural needs.

People were complimentary about the quality and choice of meals provided. Kitchen staff understood the dietary needs of people and additional advice and support was sought where people were at nutritional risk.

Clear management systems were in place to monitor and review standards across the home. Where action was identified, plans were in place to make any improvements needed. People we spoke with and staff were confident in the management and leadership at the home.

Safe recruitment procedures were in place. The staff team was stable with little turnover. Staffing levels were kept under review to ensure changing needs were appropriately met. A comprehensive programme of training and development was in place. Staff told us they felt supported and were equipped to carry out their role and responsibilities.

People’s prescribed medicines were managed safely. Staff responsible for the administration of medication had completed training and had their practice assessed to make sure it was safe.

Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure the premises and equipment were appropriately maintained and kept safe. Good hygiene standards were maintained, and relevant guidance was followed to help minimise the risk of cross infection.

Systems and processes were in place to deal with any safeguarding concerns and complaints. People and their visitors said they felt able to raise any issues with the staff team. Managers worked with relevant agencies to resolve any concerns and improve systems so people received safe and effective care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service provider was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first rated inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 9 January 2019.

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.

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.”

Follow up

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