Sharnbrook House

Updated 29 January 2022

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.

We received information of concern about staffing at this service. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 20 January 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 29 January 2022

About the service

Sharnbrook House is a care home that offers care and support to 30 older people, some of whom are living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service

• People were very happy living at Sharnbrook House. They felt safe and liked the staff who looked after them. Relatives were very satisfied with the service the staff gave to their family members and they felt welcomed at the home. Staff were proud to be working at the home and enjoyed their job. Everyone said they would recommend the home.

• Everyone praised the registered manager who was approachable, helpful and provided strong leadership. The staff team enjoyed working together and supported each other and the registered manager. The provider employed enough staff so that they could meet people’s needs in a timely way. Staff went through a thorough recruitment process so that the provider knew they only employed suitable staff.

• The registered manager and staff were proud of their achievements. These included being finalists in the provider’s Care Home of the Year Award and nominations meant that eight staff were awaiting the results of individual awards.

• The provider had systems in place to keep people safe from avoidable harm. Staff knew who to report any concerns to and assessments of potential risk ensured that people were as safe as possible. Staff undertook training in a wide range of topics so they had the knowledge and skills to do their job well and effectively meet people’s needs.

• Staff gave people their prescribed medicines safely. They followed good practice guidelines to help prevent the spread of infection. Equipment was available so that staff could support people in a safe way.

• The kitchen staff cooked a variety of nutritious meals, based on people’s choices and including special diets for those who needed them. External healthcare professionals supported staff to help people maintain or improve their health.

• People made choices in all aspects of their lives, including being involved in decisions about redecoration of the home. Staff knew each person well, including their likes and dislikes and their preferences about how they wanted staff to care for them.

• People spoke about staff very warmly and people and staff got on very well together. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged people to be as independent as possible. People had opportunities to decide on the care they wanted and to review and change the care if it was not meeting their needs. Care records reflected their decisions.

• The staff team were all involved in arranging a wide range of meaningful things for people to do. They organised group and individual activities, outings and entertainments. Staff supported people to take an active part in village life.

• People knew how to complain and were confident that the registered manager would resolve their complaints. The laundry provision was not working as well as people wanted so the registered manager was looking into making alternative arrangements.

• Staff knew they were responsible for giving people a high-quality service based on the provider’s ethos and values. Sharnbrook House was people’s home and staff did everything to make people’s lives as comfortable and fulfilling as possible. A quality monitoring system led to the registered manager identifying improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good (report published on 8 August 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.