Sunnymeade

Updated 22 September 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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors on site and an Expert by Experience made phone calls to people’s relatives. 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

Sunnymeade 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.

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 looked at the information we had received from and about the service since the last inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with 12 people who lived at the home during our visit. We also spoke with six relatives on the phone. We spoke with five members of staff. The registered manager and operations manager were available throughout the inspection. We also spent time observing care and support in communal areas of the home.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, multiple medication records, minutes of staff meetings, health and safety records and the home’s action plan.

Updated 22 September 2021

About the service

Sunnymeade is a care home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 50 people. The home specialises in the care of older people. At the time of the inspection there were 32 people living at the home.

The building is split into five small suites which helped to create a more homely atmosphere.

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

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. People and staff told us they would be comfortable to share any worries or concerns with senior staff or the management team. The registered manager took robust action in response to allegations to make sure people were protected.

People lived in a home where the staff worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure their needs were met.

People received their medicines safely from staff who had received appropriate training and had had their competency assessed.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. However, more than one person commented they felt staff were always very busy.

People benefitted from a registered manager who was committed to providing high quality person-centred care. They were supported by a provider who had good oversight of audits and action plans. This helped to drive on going improvements to the service people received.

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 the service was good (report published March 2018.)

A targeted inspection was carried out in October 2020 to look at Infection prevention and control practices. No concerns were identified.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to people’s safety at the home, staffing levels and management. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from the concerns raised with us. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service has not changed. 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 Sunnymeade 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.