Background to this inspection
Updated
28 January 2021
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.
This inspection took place on 19 January 2021 and was announced.
Updated
28 January 2021
About the service
Singleton Nursing Home is registered to provide accommodation, nursing and/or personal care for 36 people, some of whom may have dementia. At this inspection, there were 31 people living in the service. The service was part way through major building works, which when complete, will provide an additional 14 bedrooms as well as additional lounges and other facilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and visitors were positive in their feedback. Their comments included, “I would recommend this home, it’s the best money I have spent in my life.” And, “I like it because they listen to me. We have a chinwag every so often to make sure everything is okay and how I want it. A visitor told us, “The staff are marvellous, you honestly couldn’t hope for better.”
Our observations showed people were safe. Staff knew what their responsibilities were about keeping people safe from the risk of abuse. There were enough staff and the provider followed safe recruitment practice.
People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services. Each person had an up to date care plan, which set out how their care and support needs should be met by staff. These were reviewed regularly.
Medicines were managed safely, but occasionally the storage temperatures were higher than they should be. However, identified by staff and addressed by the use of an air-conditioning unit. Staff followed policies and procedures for safe administration of medicines. Only trained staff gave medicines and their competency to do this was checked regularly.
People continued to receive care from staff who were well supported. Staff received one to one supervision and annual appraisals together with induction and ongoing training. A member of staff told us, “The manager and deputy provide a lot of support and consistency.”
Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s choices and provided the support people required as well as promoting and maintaining independence. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life. One person told us, “I like to do some things for myself, they give me the time I need and encourage me to do all I can every day.”
Staff were caring and knew people, their preferences, likes and dislikes well. We received good feedback from people, relatives and social care professionals about the quality of care provided by staff.
We observed people’s rights, their dignity and privacy were respected. People continued to be supported to maintain a balanced diet. Staff monitored nutritional needs and supported people to eat safely and at their own pace.
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. We saw that People participated in activities, pursue their interests and maintained relationships with people that mattered to them.
The service continued to be well led. Effective quality audits remained in place and continuous improvement and learning were embedded in the day to day running of the service. Everyone we spoke with were positive about the registered manager and staff.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (Report published on 11 November 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.