Cumnor Hill House

Cumnor Hill House is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 75 people. The home is spread across 3 floors each of which has separate adapted facilities. One of the wings specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 55 people using the service.

There had been changes in providers since our last inspection, however, the service management and staff had remained the same.

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

People told us they felt safe living at Cumnor Hill House. Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. Staffing levels had improved, and the home was using less agency staff. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. The provider continued to recruit staff using initiatives such as overseas recruitment. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place.

Risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff did all they could to promote people’s independence and we saw examples of this. People received personalised care, tailored to their individual needs and preferences, and staff supported people and their relatives to be involved with decisions relating to their care. People's privacy and dignity was upheld through the approaches taken by staff as well as in relation to the care environment, as people each had access to their own bedrooms with ensuite bathroom facilities.

People had a pleasant well-presented dining experience which offered a variety of appetising food choices available at times that suited people’s preferences. The menu was overseen, and food prepared by an enthusiastic catering team who always looked at continuously improving people’s dining experience. Staff supported people to maintain food and fluid intakes. People’s feedback on food had been used to improve the dining experience.

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. Staff had a particularly good understanding of when the principles of the Mental Capacity Act should be applied.

People had opportunities to participate in meaningful activities and we saw evidence people were involved in choosing activities and following their hobbies.

The home was well-led by a registered manager who was committed to improving people’s quality of life. There was a clear management structure in place and a group of staff who worked well as a team. The provider had clear oversight of the service and effective quality assurance systems in place that they used to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff worked well with external social and health care professionals.

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 the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 8 June 2022.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

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