Sutton Valence Care Home

Updated 22 July 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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors for the first day, one inspector on the second day 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

Sutton Valence Care Home is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Sutton Valence is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

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 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 used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 14 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, administrator, clinical lead, nurses, the service’s activity team and care and support workers. 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 a range of records including six people’s care plans, training records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 22 July 2022

About the service

Sutton Valence Care Home is a care home registered to support up to 73 people with nursing and care needs relating to their health conditions, frailty or people living with dementia across three separate wings. At the time of our inspection there were 63 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe and looked after at Sutton Valence Care Home. Feedback was positive with people telling us they “felt at home” and “treated as part of a family.” Staff supported people to remain safe and were able to recognise signs of abuse. They knew how to raise, report and record any concerns they had about people living at the service. Concerns which had been raised were shared with local authority safeguarding teams and the registered manager had investigated these appropriately.

People were supported by trained staff who had been recruited safely. Staff were supervised regularly to ensure they were providing effective care and support. People’s needs and risks associated with these, were regularly reviewed and updated. Actions had been taken where changes were identified.

People were complimentary about the food and drink provided. There was an experienced chef and kitchen team who were able to identify specialist dietary needs and cater for these.

The service was large and spacious, and people were able to move freely without restrictions.

People were asked for consent by staff before care was completed and people’s abilities to make decisions were assessed correctly in line with guidance. 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.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff’s supportive nature and felt staff completed care in a dignified and caring way. People were involved in care planning and in the running of the service.

People had choice and control in how they wanted their support to be delivered. Staff involved family, professionals and advocates when necessary and feedback supported this.

The registered manager completed a range of checks and audits of the service to ensure any issues were identified quickly and actions were taken to put things right. Accidents and incidents were investigated fully, and any lessons learnt from these were shared with the wider staff teams to minimise the risk of reoccurrence.

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 good, published on 19 February 2019.

Why we inspected

We completed a comprehensive inspection as the provider for this service has changed.

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.