Orchard House

Updated 24 October 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Orchard House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the provider, registered manager, team leaders, senior care workers, care workers and the cook. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 24 October 2019

About the service

Orchard House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 older people who may have dementia related illness. 10 places were for people who needed shorter stay accommodation and care. There were 27 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

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

People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. Sufficient, knowledgeable staff were available to meet people's needs. People received their medicines regularly and systems were in place for the safe management and supply of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence. The premises were free from odour, and staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.

People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. People enjoyed their meal time experience. 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 cared for by staff who were caring. The atmosphere within the home was friendly and welcoming and staff were considerate towards people they cared for. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.

People were supported by staff who had the guidance and knowledge about how to meet people’s needs and support them as an individual. People had some interesting things to do and the registered manager was improving how people spend their time. Complaints were investigated, and outcomes agreed, and improvements made when needed.

People's concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service as a result. The registered manager and her management team were open, approachable. Systems were in place to improve the quality of care provided. The new registered manager had improved the culture at the home and was taking positive actions to benefit people living at the home.

The registered manager and her management team were open, approachable and focussed on providing person centred care. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided. The management team and staff were passionate about person centred care and people felt valued and well supported. The registered manager worked on promoting community links to improve people’s well-being.

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 (published October 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.