Queens Meadow Care Home

Updated 27 August 2022

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 team was made up of two inspectors 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.

Service and service type

Queens Meadow is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Queens 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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was not 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 reviewed 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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the regional manager, the interim manager, the interim deputy manager, a cook, a senior care worker and three care staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed documentation, inspected the safety of the premises and carried out observations in communal areas. We reviewed a range of records including two people’s care records, medicines records and quality audits. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We reviewed all evidence that was sent to us as part of the inspection process.

Updated 27 August 2022

About the service

Queens Meadow Care Home provides personal care for up to 59 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 54 people living in the home.

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

People felt safe living in the home. People spoke fondly of the staff. Comments included, “I absolutely love [care staff], they always look after me and know what I need" and, “They do try to look after me. They kid on with me and I like that.” Staff did not always manage people’s medicines effectively. The provider had made some improvements to medicines management. However, further developments were needed to ensure the safe management of medicines. We have made a recommendation about this.

People were safeguarded from abuse. Risks to individuals and the environment were managed. There were generally enough staff to meet people’s needs. The provider learned from accidents and incidents to mitigate future risks. Infection control processes were embedded into the service and staff followed government guidance in relation to infection control and prevention practices, in particular, relating to COVID-19.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into the home and on an ongoing basis. Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions. People were supported with their nutritional needs and to access a range of health care professionals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

A new manager had been recruited and was working their notice in another role at the time of the inspection. There was an interim manager in post who had worked in the home for over 15 years as the deputy manager. They were being supported by the regional manager and interim deputy manager. The atmosphere in the home was calm and relaxed. The provider had quality assurance processes in place which included regular audits by management in the home as well as the regional manager. People and relatives were regularly consulted about the quality of the service through surveys, meetings and reviews.

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 21 November 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to medicines management, governance and the overall management of the home. As a result, we decided to undertake a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

During the inspection we found areas of potential concern relating to nutrition and hydration and staff training. We therefore decided to also inspect the key question effective.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. 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 remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Queens Meadow Care Home 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.