Wessex House

Updated 1 June 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 Care Act 2014.

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.

Service and service type

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

Registered manager

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we had received about the home since the last inspection. We reviewed CQC notifications. Notifications describe events that happen in the service that the provider is legally required to tell us about.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, area manager, quality manager, clinical lead, three staff, four people who lived at the home and two relatives. We observed how staff interacted with people. We considered all this information to help us to make a judgement about the home. We looked at a range of records relating to the management of the home, quality assurance, staff recruitment, medicines records and health and safety checks.

Updated 1 June 2022

Wessex House provides personal and nursing care for up to 56 older people. The service is provided in purpose-built accommodation over three floors. At the time of the inspection, 54 people were living at the home.

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

There had been significant improvements following the inspection of August 2019. Positive changes had been made to the oversight of pressure mattresses to ensure they were set at the required setting for each person. This helped to reduce the risk of people developing pressure sores. Protocols were in place for people who were prescribed blood thinning medicines following a fall. Thickening agents were stored safely and had been removed from people’s rooms. Records were revised and were clearer about the type of hoist slings that staff could leave in-situ for people. This meant the risk of harm to people had been reduced.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 17 September 2019). At our last inspection we found there was a lack of guidance for monitoring people on blood thinning medicines following a fall, unsafe storage of thickening agents and the incorrect settings for pressure mattresses presented a potential risk to some people. We recommended the provider reviewed the quality assurance system to reflect current best practice.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made. Changes had been made to manage the safety of people’s bed mattress’s to ensure they were set at the correct pressure for people. Thickening agents were safely locked away to avoid harm. Guidance was in place to help monitor people who were prescribed blood thinning meds. People were no longer left with hoist slings under them. If they were then risk assessments were in place and a different type of hoist sling had been purchased. Clear quality assurance systems were with in place with audits of the home and people’s care regularly carried out.

All staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe from harm. Risks to people had been assessed with actions in place to help keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely provide care and support. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work to assess their suitability. Medicines were well managed, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People and staff felt positive about the registered manager and the management of the home. The registered manager was aware of their duty of candour. Effective quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of care. Audits had improved which helped to identify any shortfalls. There was an open and inclusive culture in the home. The registered manager worked closely with the clinical lead and the quality manager. The area manager had oversight of the home by visiting the home and carrying out checks.

Why we inspected

We carried out an inspection of this service on 8 August 2019. We rated the service requires improvement in Safe and Well Led due to the shortfalls, which we identified. 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 the provider 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 and Well-led.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Wessex House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.