Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks

Updated 25 November 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

The inspection team comprised of one inspector, a specialist advisor nurse and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks 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. Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks is a care home with 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 there was not a registered manager in post. The provider was in the process of recruiting, as the previous registered manager had left recently. During this time, the provider had ensured there was a stable consistent management team at the location.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

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, the local clinical commissioning group, local GP and community health services, and from Healthwatch about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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

During the inspection we spoke with three people who used the service and observed how care and support was given generally. We got feedback from three relatives, five care staff, including nurses, and two staff involved in activities, maintenance and catering. We spoke with the deputy manager (acting as manager whilst recruitment was ongoing), members of the provider’s senior management team and the provider's nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We looked at a range of records including three people's care records and how medicines were managed for people. We also looked at staff training, and the provider's quality auditing system. During the inspection visit we asked the provider to give us additional evidence about how the service was managed, which they sent to us.

Updated 25 November 2022

About the service

Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks is a care home with nursing providing personal and nursing care to up to 52 people. The service provides support to people diagnosed with dementia, older people, younger adults, people with a physical disability and people detained under the Mental Health Act. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people using the service.

Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks has four separate households where people live. Each household has its own communal areas (with lounges and kitchenettes). Each bedroom has ensuite facilities, and most bedrooms have direct access to enclosed garden or patio areas. The service specialises in providing personal and nursing care to people with dementia.

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

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Relatives felt confident to raise concerns and felt their family members were cared for safely. Staff understood how to recognise and report concerns or abuse, and felt confident to speak up. People’s needs were assessed, and any risks associated with their personal care and environment documented. These were reviewed regularly and updated when required. Risks associated with the service environment were assessed and mitigated. People received their prescribed medicines safely. Medicines were managed and stored safely. The service was clean and well-maintained.

The service had enough staff, including for one-to-one support for people where this was assessed as needed. People, relatives and the staff team told us that staffing levels were good. We observed people receiving care at times they chose and in an unhurried way. The provider undertook pre-employment checks, to help ensure prospective staff were suitable to care for people. The service managed incidents affecting people’s safety well. The service had systems and processes to monitor and assess accidents and incidents. Accidents and incidents were documented and analysed regularly to assess trends and patterns. This had helped the service to reduce incidents and make improvements to the care provided to people who used the service.

The service was well-led, and focussed on providing person-centred care for people living with dementia. The provider, manager and senior management team undertook regular audits of all aspects of the service to review the quality of care. These were effective in identifying areas where improvements were needed. The service had a positive, caring culture. People’s needs and wishes came first, and staff both told us this and demonstrated it in the way they supported people. Feedback from health and social care professionals supported this.

There was a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and development of the service. Staff and the management team were confident to recognise when they needed to refer people to external health and social care professionals. This meant people got the right support in a timely manner when needed. The management team worked with other organisations and professionals to ensure people's care and support was in line with best practice guidance.

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.

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.

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 14 February 2018).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service sustained a serious injury. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of falls. This inspection examined those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to examine those risks and reviewed the key questions of Safe and Well-led only. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

The overall rating for the service has remained the same. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Church Farm Nursing Home at Skylarks 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.