Altham Care Home

Updated 9 December 2021

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 team consisted of two inspectors 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

Altham Care Home is a ‘care 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. Altham Care Home does not provide nursing care.

The service 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

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 all this information to plan our inspection.

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.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the Nominated Individual, registered manager, senior care worker, care worker and the chef.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and three staff files in relation to staff supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

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

Updated 9 December 2021

About the service

Altham Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 36 adults. The home is also registered to accommodate people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people living at the home.

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

The provision of activities could have been more structured and in line with people’s wishes and preferences. We made a recommendation about this.

People were kept safe and protected from the risk of infections, including the transmission of Covid-19 because good infection control practices had been adopted by the home. One relative told us, “We all had to get an NHS Covid pass for the home. It seems to be very well managed.”

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 needs were assessed and they were supported by staff who were trained and supervised, which helped to ensure effective care was delivered. People’s health and social care needs were being met by the home working closely with a range of community professionals.

People received good care. Their preferences and wishes were respected by the staff team and independence was promoted. People were treated with dignity and respect and were involved in the decision-making process. We observed some lovely interactions by staff members, who were clearly committed to the people who lived at Altham Care Home. One relative commented, “I feel that we can ask the staff anything. It seems like we [the family] are also supported by the staff and it's like being part of an extended family.”

People were involved in planning their own care, which was informative and person-centred. This helped to ensure care and support was provided in accordance with people’s wishes and preferences. People had access to all the relevant information, to enable them to make informed decisions and choices.

People were provided with a good quality service, which was regularly assessed and closely monitored. Any shortfalls identified were addressed without delay. People provided us with positive feedback about the staff team and the registered manager of the home, who were described as kind, caring and approachable. People looked relaxed in the company of staff and the manager was visible around the home. One relative told us, “The manager is very approachable. She seems hands-on. The office manager is also excellent.”

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 12 August 2020) and there were multiple breaches 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

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating and to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

On this occasion we did not look at all the elements of the safe domain as this area was last rated as good. However, we did look 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.

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 Altham Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.