Archived: Northway House Residential Home

Updated 22 March 2023

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.

This was a targeted inspection to follow up on concerns raised by visiting professionals about heating at the care home.

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 was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Northway House Residential Home 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. Northway House Residential Home is a care home without 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 a registered manager in post.

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. 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

We toured the building and observed people in communal and personal rooms. We spoke with 3 people who lived at the home and a visiting relative. We met with 3 members of staff and spoke with them about the heating at the home. The registered manager was available throughout the inspection.

Updated 22 March 2023

About the service

Northway House Residential Home is a care home. It is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to up to 29 people. The home specialises in the care of older people. At the time of the inspection there were 16 people living at the home and one person was staying for respite.

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

People lived in a home which was not being well maintained and there was continued shortfalls in the recruitment of new staff. The provider had not ensured that staff were safely recruited which could place people at risk of being cared for by staff who were unsuitable.

People lived in a home where there was a lack of provider oversight of quality and safety. Although the manager had implemented systems to monitor quality, the providers nominated individual had no methods for checking quality or driving improvement.

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.

People felt safe and were comfortable and relaxed with staff who supported them. Throughout the inspection we saw relaxed, kind and caring interactions between staff and people. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff spoke fondly and knowledgeably about the people they cared for.

People were cared for by staff who felt well supported by their colleagues and the management at the home.

Medicines were managed safely and effectively by staff who were trained and competent to do so.

Risks relating to infection prevention and control (IPC), including in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed and managed. Staff were following all up to date government guidance regarding infection prevention and control.

There was no registered manager at the home. An acting manager was in post who had ensured that the standard of people's day to day care was maintained. However, there was a lack of oversight from the provider to make sure all aspects of the service were monitored.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement. (Published 2 December 2021)

At this inspection, we found the provider remained in breach of regulations regarding the recruitment of staff. We also found they were in breach of regulations regarding the maintenance of the building.

Why we inspected

We carried out this inspection to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 2 and 3 November 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements. We also looked at the Key Question, Effective at this inspection because we received other information of concern regarding the staff not seeking medical support for people in a timely way.

At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has not changed from Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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.

During this inspection we also carried out a separate thematic probe, which asked questions of the provider, people and their relatives, about the quality of oral health care support and access to dentists, for people living in the care home. This was to follow up on the findings and recommendations from our national report on oral healthcare in care homes that was published in 2019 called ‘Smiling Matters’. We will publish a follow up report to the 2019 'Smiling Matters' report, with up to date findings and recommendations about oral health, in due course.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Northway House Residential Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to the safe recruitment of staff and the maintenance of the building at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider and we will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk