Hamilton Rest Home

Updated 10 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 18 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 10 March 2021

About the service

Hamilton Rest Home is a residential care home providing personal care and support for up to 23 people aged 65 and over, some of who were living with dementia. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were 15 people living in the home.

Hamilton Rest Home is an older style property with accommodation on two floors. A stair lift provides access to the first floor. The home is situated on a main road close to shops and a park.

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

During the inspection, we found the provider had failed to report all incidents occurring in the service to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). However, we had received other notifications from the service and the local authority safeguarding team confirmed all incidents had been reported to them. The registered manager had previously sought advice about notifications and this had been misinterpreted. Appropriate action had been taken following the inspection to resolve this.

People told us they felt safe and were happy with the service they received. They said staff were kind and caring. Safeguarding adults’ procedures were in place and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Recruitment processes ensured new staff were suitable. There were enough numbers of staff to meet people's needs and to ensure their safety. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive support with minimum risk to themselves or others. The home was clean and free from odours. The provider had a system to ensure staff documented any accidents or incidents which had taken place. We discussed how this could be improved.

People were given choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s care and support needs were assessed prior to them using the service to ensure their needs could be met. Staff received ongoing training, supervision and support. People’s health and nutritional needs were monitored. People enjoyed the meals and were offered variety and choices. Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals, when needed.

Management and staff had developed friendly, caring and respectful relationships with people using the service and their families. People’s care was tailored to their needs and staff knew about their routines and preferences. People, or their family members, had been consulted about their care needs and some had been involved in the care planning review process. People had access to a range of appropriate activities. People did not have any complaints about the service but were confident to raise any issues.

People were happy with the way the service was managed. There were systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service and the practice of staff. Appropriate action was taken when shortfalls were noted. Staff received support from management team and from each other and they felt valued. People’s views and opinions of the service were sought and acted on.

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 15 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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