Home Meadow

Updated 14 September 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.

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 2 inspectors. The inspection team was further supported by 2 Expert by Experience’s. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Service and service type

Home Meadow 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. Home Meadow 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 and we visited the care home on 2 occasions.

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 and professionals who work with the service. 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 spoke with 7 people and 14 of their relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including care workers, senior care workers and catering and housekeeping staff, maintenance staff, the registered manager, and the regional manager. We also received feedback from 1 external healthcare professional who provided support to people at the service.

We reviewed a range of records at the service. This included recruitment documentation for staff, and staff induction records. We also reviewed certain care records, medicine, and supplementary records for 9 people during the inspection. We asked for other records to be sent to us, which we reviewed away from the care home. These records included monitoring documentation, staff rotas and training records, and quality assurance records. Additionally, we requested some policies and other records which related to the management and oversight of the service.

Updated 14 September 2023

About the service

Home Meadow 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.

Home Meadow accommodates up to 49 older people in a single-storey building. At the time of our inspection, 46 people were living at Home Meadow. The service is divided into 2 main units with 1 which accommodates people living with dementia.

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

The provider’s systems had not always identified where improvements were required, for action to be taken, to keep people safe from the risk of infection.

We have made a recommendation to the provider to monitor their processes, moving forward, to ensure timely identification and action is taken, when required.

People were at risk of dehydration due to ineffective daily reviews. Furthermore, appropriate risk reducing measures were not contained within care plans for people who required support with diabetes. We found no person had come to harm from these concerns. The registered manager and provider was responsive during the inspection time frame and undertook appropriate reviews.

People told us they felt safe. Relatives told us they felt their family member was safe and well cared for by staff. Staff received training to meet people’s needs and had undertaken specific training to help identify and reduce risks associated with falls, severe infections, and health deterioration.

Medicines were administered as prescribed; staff had completed training, and their competency had been assessed. Safe reporting and review systems were in place to monitor incidents and accidents if they occurred. Lessons learnt were reviewed and shared with staff. The provider undertook safe recruitment processes and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

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.

A registered manager was in post, and people, their relatives, and staff felt able to approach them with any concerns and were confident they would be acknowledged and acted upon. The providers systems, overall, allowed for quality monitoring to take place at the service which drove continuous improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 September 2018)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection control and safeguarding processes. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements in their monitoring of risks associated with infection control. Please see the safe section of this full report. The provider had taken action to mitigate the risk of harm from this concern, however, further monitoring is required to ensure systems are embedded and sustained.

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.

Recommendations

We have made 1 recommendation to the provider at this inspection. We recommend the provider continues to monitor and review their infection prevention control monitoring processes. Furthermore, when risks are identified, timely responsive action should be taken.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Home Meadow on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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