Park House

Updated 11 November 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.

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 carried out by one Inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Park House 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. 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 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 also reviewed additional information we held about the service, this included previous inspection reports and statutory notifications. A statutory notification contains information about certain incidents and events the provider is required to notify us about by law.

During the inspection

We spoke with six members of staff which included the registered manager, another manager and care staff. We spoke with seven people who lived at the service and one persons’ relative. We observed interactions between people and staff.

We reviewed a range of records, including peoples’ care records, staff recruitment files, records relating to safety checks including fire safety and accident and incident records. We also reviewed medicines records and records relating to monitoring and quality assurance.

Following our site visit we contacted four healthcare professionals to seek their views on the service and received feedback from two of them. We also spoke with a further relative. We also received further clarification and documentation from the service to validate evidence found.

Updated 11 November 2022

Park House is a care home without nursing and is registered to provide accommodation and support for a maximum of 21 people. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people living at the service. People living at Park House were older people, the majority living with dementia or mental health needs.

Peoples’ experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect and we made observations to support this. Staff gave us examples of how they promoted dignity for people. We made a small number of observations where some areas of practice could be improved through more effective communication and interaction.

People and their relatives told us they were safe. One person told us they felt, “Absolutely safe.” We observed positive and respectful interactions between people and staff, and staff told us they aimed to provide a high level of care. Safeguarding systems and processes were in place to protect people and staff knew how to identify and report concerns. There were no current restrictions on peoples’ relatives and friends visiting the service.

The service environment was maintained. Peoples’ risks and needs were assessed and risk was managed where required. The service ensured there were enough staff on duty to ensure peoples’ needs were met. Medicines were managed safely, and we identified to the service management where minor improvements were needed. The service was clean and followed good infection control practices.

Where appropriate and safe, 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. There were systems in place that ensured people who were deprived of their liberty were done so with the appropriate legal authority through an application process with the local authority.

People, their relatives and staff gave positive feedback about the registered manager. There were systems to obtain feedback from people, their relatives and staff. There were governance systems in place to monitor both the quality of service people received and to ensure the service was safe. There were effective relationships with external healthcare professionals and links with the local community were being grown in the post Covid-19 period.

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 Requires Improvement (published 20 June 2019) and a breach of regulation was identified. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing, the care people received and the service environment. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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.

The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good based on the findings of this inspection.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about seeking advice and guidance to improve staff practice in relation to effective communication and interaction.

Follow Up:

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