Archived: 4 Sandford Road

Updated 30 December 2022

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 undertaken by one inspector and a specialist nurse advisor.

Service and service type

4 Sandford Road 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. 4 Sandford Road is a care home without 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 the registered manager had recently resigned their post. They were no longer in charge of the day to day running of the service.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

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

We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with one member of care staff and the locality and operations managers. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including quality monitoring checks and audits and policies and procedures.

Updated 30 December 2022

About the service

4 Sandford Road is a residential care home providing personal care. The home accommodates five people in one adapted building. The home specialises in providing care and rehabilitation to adults with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection two people were living at the home and one person was moving in.

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

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. The locality manager was overseeing the service and they and the regional manager supported the inspection process.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. However, we identified an incident that occurred in August 2022 where CQC had not been notified. The locality manager submitted a retrospective statutory notification to the CQC.

People told us they felt safe. The provider had safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these. Risks to people were assessed and staff were aware of the action to take to minimise risks where they had been identified. Robust recruitment checks had taken place before staff started working at the service. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. There were procedures in place to reduce the risk and spread of infections.

Assessments of people’s needs were carried out when they started using the service. Staff received training and support relevant to people’s needs. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. People had access to a range of healthcare services when needed. 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 told us staff were caring. They had care plans that described their health care and support needs and included guidelines for staff on how to best support them. The provider had a complaints procedure in place in formats that people could understand. Peoples preferences for their end of life care was sought and recorded.

The locality manager told us that the aim of the service was to improve people’s wellbeing, develop their skills for example around cooking and budgeting so they could move to independent living. Two people had recently moved out into their own flats. The provider sought people views about the service through annual surveys, house meetings and keyworker meetings. The provider and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to deliver an effective service.

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 16 December 2017)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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 will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.