Northcott House Residential Care and Nursing Home Also known as 1-684385445

Updated 6 June 2024

We carried out a responsive assessment of Northcott House Residential Care and Nursing Home between 18 June and 22 July 2024. This assessment was completed to follow up on concerns we had received from the public, professionals and stakeholders. Northcott House Residential Care and Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 55 people. On the days of the assessment visits there were between 50 and 54 people living at the service, all of whom were receiving a regulated activity. All the people were assessed as having a mixture of dependency levels, needs and abilities. Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience conducted an unannounced site visit on 18 June 2024. Additional announced site visits were completed on 20 June 2024, 2 July 2024 and 9 July 2024. We assessed 16 quality statements relating to all the key questions. The scores for these have been combined with scores based on the last key question ratings. Though the assessment indicated areas which require improvement and good practice, our overall rating remains ‘requires improvement.’ We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and governance. Since the last inspection the provider had taken action to address some of our concerns. However, this had not been fully effective as some of the concerns identified at this assessment were the same as those identified at our last inspection. We identified concerns in relation to the safe management of medicines and found people did not receive their medicines as prescribed. Risks posed by the environment had not been fully considered. There was a lack of effective management in relation to fire safety and legionella and environmental audits had not identfied additional environmental risks including appropriate use of window restrictors and the stability of large items of furniture. The providers governance and oversight systems had failed to identify the concerns.

Updated 6 June 2024

We spoke with 10 people and relatives during our assessment. People felt safe living at Northcott House and were happy with how they were cared for and supported. People and relatives felt staff understood how to keep them safe and manage risks. We received mixed views from people and relatives in relation to the staffing levels, with some people feeling they were sometimes kept waiting. Comments included, “There’s not enough staff, they’re worked off their feet. They’re very busy although they are very, very nice and they sort out most problems” and “I would say I get as much help as I need, and they come quickly if you’re really concerned.” People were aware they had care plans in place, however some people spoken with told us they had not seen these. These people, did confirm however they were asked about their care, likes and dislikes and any concerns they may have. People and relatives provided positive feedback about the caring nature of the staff. Comments included, “The staff are excellent. I have a close relationship with everyone”, “If person gets upset, the nurses sit with them. They put their arms round them. They’re very kind and caring” and “The carers are first class.” Since the last inspection a new manager and new deputy manager had been appointed. People and relatives we spoke with said they see the management team regularly; were confident they would act on concerns and spoke positively about them. Comments included, “He [manager] speaks to me and seems very good”, “I see him [manager] most days. I feel he would sort out things, if possible, perhaps not immediately, but he would get it done” and “He comes to talk to [relative]. He’s always walking around. He’s very approachable.”