Prideaux Manor

Prideaux Manor is a residential nursing home providing personal and nursing care to up 27 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

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

There had been multiple changes in management and staffing which had affected consistency and morale of staff. Staff were positive about the current management team. There was currently no registered manager at the service, the provider was involved in the day to day management of the home and was working with the staff team to embed a person-centred ethos.

Improvement was needed to aspects of record keeping to ensure that staff were accurately recording the support they provided for people. Systems had not yet been embedded into practice to record people’s and their relative’s views.

People were supported safely by staff that knew them well. People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Risks to people were assessed and staff understood how to manage those risks. There were enough staff to support people and staff were recruited safely. The home was clean and hygienic and had recently undergone extensive renovations.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into the home to ensure staff could support the person. People's care plans were developed from these pre-admission assessments and people and families were involved in writing them. Staff had received training that was relevant to their role and the people they supported.

People were cared for by staff that were kind and caring and respected people's equality and diversity. People and their relatives were positive about the staff team. Relatives told us, "They seem very professional, incredibly patient all of them and very caring from what I can see."

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

Why we inspected

The service was registered with us on 5 May 2021 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 12 March 2020.

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.

Follow up

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

We found the following examples of good practice.

People were supported to have visits from their friends and family. Visitors were asked to give the home notice if they were going to visit to ensure that staff would be available to support infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures. Visitors to the home took lateral flow device (LFD) tests and had their temperatures taken before coming into the home. People were also supported by staff to have regular phone and video calls with their loved ones.

Staff were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in line with government guidance. Staff had received training in safely putting on and taking off PPE as well as infection control. The manager had implemented a training company which provided training and information in different languages and in a format for those who may be dyslexic. There were PPE stations throughout the home and foot operated pedal bins for safe disposal.

Staff had been provided with packs of PPE to use outside the home, this had included small bottles of hand sanitiser and moisturiser. The management team had also completed hand hygiene audits with staff to ensure they were following correct hand hygiene procedures.

The home was clean and hygienic. The provider was in the process of an extensive refurbishment of the home. This included replacing all the furniture with wipeable chairs. Carpets had been replaced with flooring which was easier to keep clean. Radiator covers were being replaced with ones that could easily be cleaned. Sensor operated hand gel dispensers had been installed throughout the home. People told us they liked the new look of the home.

People and staff had COVID-19 risk assessments where they may be at increased risk from COVID-19. Staff undertook health questionnaires every 6 months to review any risks. Regular infection control audits were completed, and actions identified with timeframes and responsibilities for completion.