Portland House Nursing Home

Updated 26 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 15 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 26 March 2021

About the service

Portland House Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 30 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 32 people in one adapted building. The home is situated over three floors.

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

People’s capacity to consent to specific decisions was considered and any restrictions on people’s liberty was lawfully carried out. However, the recording of these decisions was insufficient, and it was not always clear from the records we saw how decisions had been reached. We made a recommendation about this.

Everyone said they felt safe and enjoyed life in the home. 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.

Staff administered people's medicines safely. Staff provided people with support to have the medicines they needed to remain well, and people's medicines were regularly reviewed and checked.

Risks to people were assessed and mitigated and there were systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. People were supported by a well-trained staff team who were available when they needed assistance and who were recruited safely.

People and their relatives told us staff were caring and kind and we saw positive interactions between staff and people who lived in the home. Staff supported people respectfully and promoted their independence while maintaining their dignity

People were able to see healthcare professionals to assist their health and wellbeing. Staff supported people to eat healthy nutritious food and to drink sufficient fluids and were familiar with people's dietary needs. There was an emphasis on the dining experience being a social event for people. Relatives were welcome to join people for meals if they chose to and were warmly welcomed in the home.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. Audits were carried out and people's views were sought. Where shortfalls were picked up the registered manager was using the information to improve the service. Staff understood their role and had confidence in the manager. Staff told us they worked well together as a team, and there was good morale amongst them.

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 good (published 16 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.