We carried out a review of the data available to us about Shallcott Hall Residential Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Shallcott Hall Residential Home, you can give feedback on this service.
We found the following examples of good practice:
People were being supported to comply with social distancing and the wearing of a face coverings when out in the community. People were also being supported to maintain contact with friends and family. Garden visits, doorstep visits and telephone calls were arranged for those people who wanted contact with others. In-house visiting was now permitted but had not been requested so far. These visits had to be pre-booked and any visitors had to have a negative lateral flow COVID-19 test (LFT) before entering the home and were offered hand sanitising gel and a face mask. Those families and friends who were unable to visit were kept informed how things were at Shallcott Hall and of visiting arrangements.
No new people had been admitted since the start of the pandemic however there were three planned admissions the following week. These three people were already isolating and being looked after by a cohort of staff. They will be subject to COVID-19 testing before admission. If any person was admitted to hospital, they would not be able to return to Shallcott Hall without a negative test result. The person would then be isolated in their bedroom for 14-days.
Peoples’ health care needs continued to be met. People were supported to attend their local health care services as part of their treatment plans and were reminded to take a face covering with them. Each person and the staff team had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination at the beginning of January 2021 and were awaiting the date of the second.
A weekly COVID-19 testing programme was in place for the staff team and people were tested every month. Additional tests would be performed if anyone was unwell or presented with COVID-19 symptoms.
Staffing arrangements were such that they were lone workers. In between shifts staff maintained social distance during handover report. People generally did not spend time with each other, and the communal living rooms were only used by two or three people. The staff always wore a face mask on duty. In the event they needed to help a person with personal care they wore a plastic apron and gloves.
The home had two communal rooms on the ground floor and shared bathrooms on each of the three floors. All bedrooms were for single occupancy and had a wash hand basin in the room. People had access to outdoors space, either in the large back garden or the park opposite. Should there be an outbreak of COVID-19 infection, people would be isolated in their bedroom. The service had plentiful supplies of PPE.
The staff team were responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of all areas of the home. The home was clean and tidy and extra touch-point cleaning tasks had been added to the daily task lists.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) training had been refreshed since the start of the pandemic and included the correct procedures for putting on and taking off PPE, hand hygiene and testing (LFT) training. The deputy had attended several virtual training sessions (called webinars) and cascaded information to the rest of the staff team.
Infection prevention and control policies had been reviewed and reflected current COVID-19 guidance. The deputy manager had contacted Public Health England for specific advice regarding cohorting and isolation when this was required and was also in weekly contact with the local authority.
Shallcott Hall 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.
The care home accommodates nine people in one building providing nursing care and personal care. At the time of our inspection six people were accommodated in the home.
At the last inspection the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider had a quality assurance system in place and people’s views were sought yearly so that improvements could be made to the service.
Staff received supervision an annual appraisal and training. Staff had checks completed prior to starting work at the service.
People and staff all felt the home was safe and the management were accessible.
People felt the staff were kind and caring. People's care plans were person centred and contained important information relating to their likes and dislikes.
No complaints had been received since the last inspection and all people felt able to raise any concerns with the registered manager.
People had choice of when and what they ate and all could make drinks within their room if they wished.
People arranged their medical appointments when they wanted and people could come and go as they wished.
Shallcott Hall provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people who do not have nursing care needs. At the time of this inspection there were seven people living at the home. Shallcott Hall has eight bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, lounge, office, laundry room, deputy manager flat and gardens.
There was a registered manager in post who was also the provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are registered persons. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People could be at risk of cross infection due to communal bathrooms having hand towels in place and not disposable towels. People had detailed care plans that were personalised to them but risk assessments relating to cleaning products required additional information on specific products used. People’s personal evacuation plans had details of what support the person might require in an emergency but there was no photo of who the plan related to.
People were supported by staff who had checks completed prior to commencing their employment. People felt safe and staff were able to demonstrate what action they would take should they have concerns to people’s safety.
People were supported by staff who received regular supervision and training to ensure they were competent and skilled to meet their individual care needs.
People received their medicines safely and when required by staff who had received training. People were supported by adequate staffing levels and staff supported people in a kind and caring manner. Staff demonstrated they knew people well and felt supported and able to raise any concerns with the registered manager.
People had positive relationships with their care workers and felt able to make decisions about the care they received. Changes in people’s needs were identified and their care package amended to meet their changing needs. The provider had a quality assurance system to monitor the quality and safety of the service and to identify any areas for improvement.
The service was flexible and people and relatives views were sought so that improvements could be made. People were happy with the care and felt able to raise a complaint if they had one. People had unrestricted access and were able to come and go as they pleased. Visitors were able to visit as often as they liked.
The people we met had lived at the home for many years and all were able to access the community without staff support. They told us they were able to make their own decisions about how and where they spent their day. Comments included 'I come and go as I please. We all have a key to the front door and our bedrooms' and 'I live my own life. That's what I love about it here.'
The people we spoke with told us that they could see their doctor when they needed. Comments included 'they are brilliant. They will make an appointment as soon as you ask' and 'the surgery is only around the corner and the staff will always come with you if you want them to.' The care records we looked at recorded information about people's contact with health care professionals. This detailed the advice provided and any treatment prescribed.
The home's safeguarding procedures minimised risks to the people who lived at the home.
Systems were in place which meant that staff received appropriate levels of support and training to enable them to meet the needs of the people who lived at the home.
Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received.
People told us that they were able to make decisions for themselves and were encouraged to do so by staff. We saw detailed assessments and comprehensive care plans and people told us they were involved in planning their care. They were supported to do things they enjoyed doing. One person said that 'it is lovely here, I am enjoying living here I am very free and it feels like home'.
We were told that staff are 'easy going', 'very pleasant and respectful', 'our independence is not taken away from us. We were told that if there are difficulties the manager will 'sort these out for us very quickly'.
Staff told us that they felt well supported and had access to the training they needed.
We saw people being supported by staff who had a kind sensitive manner. We saw that care plans have enough information to properly support and guide staff, to ensure people receive the care they need.
People benefit from being cared for by staff who have done a variety of training to help them understand the care and support they need. It would be beneficial if there were up to date supervision records kept to show that people are being supervised in the work they do.
We saw that people are consulted about the care and support they receive. This information is used to improve the quality of service and the overall care people receive.