Radbrook Nursing Home

Updated 15 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

This inspection was completed by three inspectors and one 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

Radbrook Nursing Home 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. Radbrook Nursing Home 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 Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 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.

During the inspection we spoke with 12 people and either spoke with or received written feedback from 12 relatives. We reviewed 7 people's care records and multiple medicines records. We also spoke with 11 members of staff including care staff, nursing staff, social life coordinator, cook, the deputy and registered manager, head of operations and the head of care quality for the provider.

Updated 15 November 2022

About the service

Radbrook Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 63 people. The service provides support to people over the age of 18 years. The home’s Cherry Tree Household supports up to 16 people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there was refurbishment work being completed to a new wing of the home and there were 47 people using the service.

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

Improvements had been made since our previous inspection. Although we received some mixed feedback about staffing levels, there were enough staff to safely support people. Staff were recruited safely to the home. Risks to people were assessed and planned for to support them to stay safe. Staff practice helped to minimise the risk of cross infection. People’s medicines were administered and managed safely. The provider had systems in place to make sure lessons could be learnt from accidents, incidents and when things went wrong.

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.

Staff had received training to give them the skills and knowledge to understand and support people's individual needs. People were supported to eat and drink in line with their needs. People’s health needs were met and referrals were made when people needed other health care support or staff were worried about a person’s health. The home’s environment was clean, comfortable and gave people and their visitors access to communal and private spaces.

People were supported by staff who they told us were kind and caring. Staff had developed good relationships with people and supported them to make choices and retain their independence. People were treated with dignity and respect.

People's care was reviewed regularly to ensure the plans in place met their current needs. People had the opportunity to discuss and put in place their end of life wishes if they wanted to. Complaints received had been investigated and responded to in line with the provider's policy.

Staff and managers had created a positive and open culture. People and their relatives were happy with the care provided. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities; they felt supported by management and involved in the development of the service.The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place which were used to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

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 18 September 2019) and there were breaches of the 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

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns about the admission of people to the home. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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.

Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Radbrook Nursing 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.