24 May 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Sotwell Hill House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 36 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 26 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems and processes to maintain effective oversight required improvement. Audits had not previously identified concerns found on inspection. Therefore, improvements had not been made.
Risks to people had not always been assessed or appropriate mitigating strategies implemented. Injuries to people were not always investigated as required and records of injuries did not always have the necessary information documented.
The provider had made improvements and the previous recommendation made by CQC regarding legionella risks had been mitigated.
People were supported by staff who were described as kind and caring. Staff had been safely recruited.
People received their medicines as prescribed. Staff received training and staff recorded when medicines were administered.
Information was shared with people, relatives and staff. Relatives were kept up to date with changes or incidents that occurred with their loved one. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff annually.
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 30 March 2022) and there was a breach of regulation. 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 the provider remained in breach of regulations.
At our last inspection we recommended that the provider consider current guidance on managing legionella and take action to update their practice accordingly. At this inspection we found they had made improvements.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sotwell Hill House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified breaches in relation to effective management oversight at this inspection.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.