Highfield Care Centre

Updated 6 August 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. This was a targeted inspection to check on a concern we had about people's safety and management of the service.

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 was carried out by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is someone who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Highfield Care Centre 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the 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. We reviewed information we had received about the service, such as details about incidents the provider must notify CQC about, for example incidents of abuse. We reviewed all other information sent to us from stakeholders such as the local authority and members of the public. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people using the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight staff members including the registered manager and two external healthcare professionals. We looked at three care records and three medicine records. We looked at three staff files regarding recruitment. We also looked at quality monitoring records relating to the management of the service, such as audits and quality assurance reports.

Updated 6 August 2022

About the service

Highfield Care Centre is a 'care home' which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 88 older people some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 40 people using the service. Accommodation is spread out over four units, at the time of the inspection two units were in use.

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

The provider had oversight of the maintenance of the service and was in the process of addressing maintenance issues raised during the previous inspection. Incidents or accidents were recorded and managed effectively. A range of quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and improve the service. People received medicines safely, however we were concerned about how medicine awaiting removal was stored. Allergies were not consistently recorded for all people, this was raised with the registered manager who took immediate action to address this issue.

There was a registered manager who had been in post since the last inspection. Throughout the inspection the registered manager was honest and open with us. Any concerns raised during the inspection process were immediately addressed, for example feedback from external professionals highlighted communication with staff could be improved. We shared this information with the registered manager who discussed with staff and put related quality assurance checks in place.

People and their relatives told us the improvements they had experienced in the care at the time of our last inspection had continued and further improved one person said, “I think it's getting better here, I am very happy”. Feedback from external healthcare professionals was positive however we were told communication could be improved.

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.

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 inadequate (published 21 December 2021).

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.

This service has been in Special Measures since 21 December 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Highfield care centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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