Background to this inspection
Updated
9 December 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
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
Two inspectors carried out this inspection.
Service and service type
Osborne House 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.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The nominated individual was currently acting as manager for the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
Notice of inspection
We gave 10 minutes notice of the inspection. This was in order to confirm with the manager the procedures for ensuring safe practice and use of PPE due to the risks of COVID-19.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the nominated individual, team leader, senior care workers, care workers, housekeeping and catering staff. We spoke with four professionals who regularly visit the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and three medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
9 December 2020
About the service
Osborne House is a residential care home providing personal care to 8 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 16 people.
Osborne House is a two-storey building with communal dining, kitchen and lounge areas, a conservatory and large enclosed garden. There are wet rooms on each floor for showers that are shared. Some rooms have en-suite facilities. There is an office within the building at the front of the house and a separate laundry and staff room area.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and relatives told us they liked the changes to the environment and staff practices. There were still improvements to be made which the manager had plans in place to address.
People were supported by a staff team who had the appropriate training and skills to meet their needs and were dedicated to providing a person-centred approach to care. They had assessed people’s needs and written care plans to support these, which were in the process of being further developed.
People told us they felt safe and were happy with the care being provided and the way staff treated them. The staff team had a good understanding of abuse awareness and how to safeguard people.
People said they had plenty to eat and drink and choices about menus and how they spent their time. We observed warm and kind interactions and staff who demonstrated patience and compassion.
People’s medicines were being safely managed and they had access to a wide range of health professionals to ensure their needs were correctly assessed and supported.
There were better communication systems in place and people, relatives and staff felt able to raise any concerns with the manager who they said acted quickly to resolve any problems or to offer additional support. Relatives were happy with the changes that had taken place and the care being delivered.
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.
The new manager had implemented new quality assurance and auditing systems to better monitor the care provided and quickly identify any concerns. While there were still areas to improve upon, the service was now being managed well and the manager and staff team were keen to learn.
We have made a recommendation about further developing systems and care planning to ensure they are fully person centred. We have also made a recommendation about the completion of outstanding environmental repairs and replacements.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update:
The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 04 May 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 04 May 2020. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.