Archived: Sutton Valence Care Home

Updated 19 February 2019

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on the 18 and 23 January 2019 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

We used information the registered persons sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We examined other information we held about the service. This included notifications of incidents that the registered persons had sent us since our last inspection. These are events that happened in the service that the registered persons are required to tell us about. We invited feedback from health and social care professionals involved in people’s support. We did this so that they could tell us their views about how well the service was meeting people’s needs and wishes. The feedback we received was positive, some of which has been reflected in this report.

We spoke with nine people who lived at the service and three relatives to gain their views and their experience of the service provided. We also spoke to the registered manager, the deputy manager, three registered nurses, four care staff and the chef and kitchen staff.

We spent time observing the care provided and the interaction between staff and people. We looked at five people’s care records and six staff records as well as staff training records, the staff rota and team meetings minutes. We spent time looking at records, policies and procedures, complaints and incident and accident recording systems and medicine administration records.

Updated 19 February 2019

This inspection was carried out on 18 and 23 January 2019 and was unannounced.

Sutton Valence Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and 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. Sutton Valence Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 67 people. There were 67 people living there on the day of the inspection.

Many people living at the service had complex nursing care needs and required help with all aspects of their care. Others who needed nursing care on a daily basis were encouraged to lead as independent a life as possible within the service and around the local community.

The service was arranged into three units; each unit being led by a registered nurse with a team of care staff to support the needs of people. The team was further supported by a domestic worker every day to make sure the unit was kept clean.

At our last inspection we rated the service as 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.

People told us they felt safe living at Sutton Valence Care Home. Registered nurses assessed people’s needs and identified risks, putting measures in place to manage these safely. We spoke to staff who told us how they kept people safe. They understood their responsibilities in ensuring people were safe from abuse and their role in reporting any concerns they had.

Accidents and incidents, including safeguarding matters were recorded, investigated and reported in a timely manner to the local authority or CQC as necessary.

There were enough staff employed to be able to provide the nursing and personal care people had been assessed as needing. Staff were recruited safely and recruitment processes were robust. Staff training was up to date, and the team had a mix of skills, knowledge and experience. Staff had opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge and all were qualified in health and social care.

The management team supported staff through supervision and appraisals which were held regularly and recorded. Competency checks were carried out to ensure staff remained competent in their role.

People’s medicines were administered safely and when they needed them. Policies and procedures were in place so that people took their medicines when needed. People were supported to remain as healthy as possible and they had been given access to specialist healthcare professionals who could support them.

People had access to the food and drink that they enjoyed. People were supported to choose what they wanted to eat. Peoples nutrition and hydration needs had been assessed and recorded.

People and their relatives said the staff had a caring approach and looked after them well. There was a calm and relaxed ambience and the staff were friendly and happy to chat. People appeared comfortable and were not calling out for assistance, everyone looked well cared for. There were good examples of people being treated with dignity and respect.

People were central to the support they received. Care and support was planned with people and their relatives and reviewed to make sure people continued to have the support that they needed. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

People took part in activities of their choice within the service and in the local community. People could choose what they wanted to do each day. There were enough staff to support people to participate in the activities they chose.

Processes were in place to monitor the quality and they regularly asked people for feedback about the service.

Complaints were investigated and responded to well as were accidents and incidents. The registered manager and the provider took the opportunity to learn from complaints received and incidents that had happened to be able to improve the service provided.

People, their relatives and the staff thought the service was well run and the management team were approachable and supportive. Many people said the registered manager had an ‘open door’ policy, inviting people to speak to her at any time. Positive feedback was also received about the registered nurses and the leadership of their teams, making sure people got good proactive care.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.