Riccall House Care Home

Updated 5 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector over two days.

Service and service type

Riccall 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. Riccall House 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced on the first day and announced on the second day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. 6 relatives provided feedback using our website. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, care supervisor, senior carers, care assistants, domestic staff and a cook.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records in detail and 5 in less detail. We reviewed 2 people’s medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures were reviewed. We also reviewed training records, meeting minutes and other documents remotely.

Updated 5 November 2022

About the service

Riccall House Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 18 people. The service provides support to older adults, some of who may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people using the service.

Riccall House Care Home is a detached property that has been adapted. Bedroom are across two floors with a stair lift serving one part of the first floor.

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

People’s environment was homely, clean and safe because systems were in place to monitor and manage all aspects of health and safety.

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care they received. They were confident in the registered manager and staff’s abilities to provide a safe and caring environment with engaging and enjoyable activities.

People received their medicines as prescribed in line with their preferences by trained and competent staff.

People were safe from the risk of abuse and neglect because staff were trained and confident to speak up. Staff were safely recruited and had the relevant training for their roles.

Managers in the service led by example and created a positive and open atmosphere where everybody was confident to provide feedback to improve the service. The registered manager was quick to act on feedback to improve the experience of care for people living at the service.

One relative told us, “There seems to be an ethos of real care shown for the residents from all the staff and the registered manager and they have a knack of making them feel special.” Another relative told us, “The residents and family meetings that the registered manager has introduced are very positive and constructive and have led to some enjoyable shared experiences, suggested by family and residents. They encourage and welcomes suggestions, for example having a banjo player visit the home for my relative’s birthday celebration, when everyone in the home enthusiastically joined in. For me, the meetings have also been a good opportunity to meet some of the relatives of other residents.”

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.

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 27 February 2021) and there were breaches of regulations. 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 regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 25 November 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, staffing and governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

Follow up

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