Yeovil - Sherborne House Care Home

Updated 31 January 2023

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

Service and service type

Yeovil - Sherborne 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. Yeovil - Sherborne House is a care home with 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.

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 6 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the registered manager, operations manager, head of care, senior carers, carers, nurses, housekeeping and the chef. We also received written feedback from 6 staff and 4 health professionals who work closely with the home.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. 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.

Updated 31 January 2023

About the service

Yeovil – Sherborne House Care Home is a care home and provides personal or nursing care for older people and those living with a dementia. The home can accommodate a maximum of 38 people. At the time of the inspection 31 people lived at the home.

The home also had a separate pathway unit called “The Wing.” The Wing accommodated 8 of the 31 people. This unit was for people who had been discharged from hospital to be assessed prior to going home or moving into alternative accommodation. The Wing was staffed by 2 NHS staff members, an occupational therapist and a physiotherapist. The NHS staff carried out the needs assessments when people came to the home and Altogether Care LLP provided the accommodation and care staff to deliver the regulated activity.

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

At the last inspection medicines management was not robust. At this inspection improvements had been made.

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.

The home had been extensively redecorated since the last inspection. The home environment had been adapted to meet people’s needs. Dementia friendly signage helped people move around the home safely and there were additional quiet seating areas.

Since the last inspection there was a new registered manager. The registered manager and other senior staff carried out a robust programme of audits which helped ensure good oversight of quality and emerging risk in the home. When issues were identified these were quickly resolved and learning shared.

Risks to people were assessed, recorded and regularly reviewed. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the signs and symptoms that could indicate people were experiencing abuse or harm. Staff knew how to report concerns both internally and externally.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Call bell response times were monitored to ensure people received timely support. Staff were recruited safely, thereby helping to ensure only suitable people were employed.

Staff received a comprehensive induction and ongoing training to help them understand and meet people’s needs. People and their relatives felt the staff were well trained and competent.

People were supported to access health services whenever required. This included the home’s rehabilitation wing and off-site services such as hospitals and GP surgeries.

Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and said they were proud to work at the home. They felt supported by their colleagues and senior management. The registered manager felt well supported by the provider. Staff were actively encouraged to gain additional skills and qualifications to develop their practice.

The home worked well with other organisations such as hospital discharge teams, social services and local colleges. The home also understood the importance and benefit of links with the wider community through social events.

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 8 January 2020) 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 improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 21 and 22 October 2019. A breach of legal requirements was 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.

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, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

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 Yeovil - Sherborne 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.