9 June 2022
During an inspection looking at part of 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.