Cholwell House Nursing Home

Updated 1 May 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 the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 17 March and was announced.

Updated 1 May 2021

Cholwell House Nursing Home is a service providing care for older people. It is registered to accommodate up to 51 people who require nursing and/or personal care. At the time of the inspection, 39 people were living there

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

The home continued to ensure people were safe. There were enough suitable staff to meet people’s needs. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to stay safe and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People received their medicines safely. People were protected from abuse because staff understood how to keep them safe, including more senior staff understanding the processes they should follow if an allegation of abuse was made. All staff informed us concerns would be followed up if they were raised.

People continued to receive effective care. People who lacked capacity had decisions made in line with current legislation. Staff received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support people. People told us, and we saw, their healthcare needs were met. People were supported to eat and drink according to their likes and dislikes. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The home continued to provide a caring service to people. People and their relatives told us, and we observed that staff were kind and patient. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by staff and their cultural or religious needs were valued. People or their relatives were involved in decisions about the care and support they received. People’s choices were respected and staff encouraged choice for those who struggled to communicate with them.

The home remained responsive to people’s individual needs. Care and support was personalised to each person which ensured they were able to make choices about their day to day lives. Some records needed to be improved; however the registered manager was aware of this. People were supported to follow activity programmes. These considered people’s hobbies and interests and reflected people’s preferences. People knew how to complain and there were a range of opportunities for them to raise concerns with the registered manager and designated staff.

The home was well led. People, their relatives and staff spoke very highly about the management and told us they felt the service was outstanding. Staff were highly valued and appreciated and morale was very high. Staff told us they were very well supported and the management went out of their way to help. The registered manager continually monitored the quality of the service and made improvements in accordance with people’s changing needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.