Background to this inspection
Updated
15 June 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 care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.
This inspection took place on 19 May 2021 and was announced.
Updated
15 June 2021
About the service: The Conkers is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with learning disabilities and other complex health needs. The home is a one storey, purpose-built building with a separate garden. At the time of inspection 7 people lived in the service.
People’s experience of using this service: People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way however medicines were not always safely managed. We have made a recommendation about the management of medicines.
Formal feedback from people who use the service, their relatives and staff was not routinely sought by the provider to evaluate and improve the service.
Everyone we spoke with told us The Conkers was a friendly and lovely place to visit, that staff were kind and caring and people were treated with respect.
People were involved in their day to day lives through being empowered to make their own choices about where they spent their time, who with and how. People had access to a wide range of activities including access to the local community. Independence was promoted and staff actively ensured people maintained links with families.
Recruitment processes were robust and thorough checks were completed before staff started working in the home. We saw there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty on make sure people’s care needs were met. Staff had received training, supervision and appraisal to ensure people received appropriate care.
The manager and staff knew what to do to keep people safe. Individual risks had been assessment and identified as part of the support and care planning process. We saw nice interactions between staff and people who used the service. We saw staff respected people’s privacy and dignity.
People’s nutritional needs were met and the menus we saw offered variety and choice. Records showed people had regular access to healthcare professionals to make sure their health care needs were met.
A complaints procedure was in place. Relatives told us they would have no hesitation in raising concerns and knew how to do this.
The home had good management. The manager was visible working with the team, monitoring and supporting staff to ensure people received the care and support they needed.
More information is in Detailed Findings below.
Rating at last inspection: Requires improvement (report published 23 December 2017)
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We saw improvements have been made since our last inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of the regulation relating to medicine management. The service has improved and is now rated good overall.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.