Carlton Court Care Home

Updated 19 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

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector, 1 specialist advisor and 1 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

Carlton Court Care 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. Carlton Court Care 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 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

During the inspection, we spoke to 4 people, 5 relatives, 5 care staff, a well-being lead, 1 housekeeping staff, the registered manager, the clinical lead, the hotel services manager, a quality and compliance director, the operations director/ nominated individual and the development manager. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed 6 people’s care records which included care plans, risk assessments and medicines records. We reviewed 5 staff recruitment records and other documents related to the running of the service which included staff rotas, audits, surveys, meetings and quality assurance records.

We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This was received and the information was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 19 January 2023

About the service

Carlton Court Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 85 people. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 68 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe. Staff received training in safeguarding people from abuse. Staff demonstrated that they understood the signs of abuse and how to report any concerns in line with the provider's policy.

People's medicines were managed and administered in a safe way by staff who had been trained to carry out the task. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs in a timely manner.

Risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. People's care records were reviewed and any changes to people's care and support needs had been recorded.

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 environment was safe, clean and hygienic. Suitable checks were made on the premises and equipment to ensure they were safe.

There was a clear management structure and staff told us they felt supported and valued. The management team had developed good working relationships with professionals which had positive outcomes for people.

The registered manager and senior management team had implemented several audits and checks to monitor the overall quality of care people received. Issues identified during audits were linked into an evolving action plan which was reviewed and updated regularly.

The provider worked closely with the local authority to continuously implement and sustain improvements.

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 01 August 2018).

At our last inspection we made a recommendation around medicines management. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on the recommendation and they had made improvements.

Why we inspected

We received information of concern in relation to staffing levels, poor care and management failing to take concerns seriously. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. 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 remained the same. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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.

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