About the service Westin Care Home is a nursing home providing regulated activities (personal and nursing care) to up to 52 people. The service provides support to older people, people with dementia and mental health needs, and people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection, there were 38 people using the service.
The service is laid out across two floors; the ground floor is named oak unit and the first floor is named willow unit. Both units offer communal dining, lounging, bathroom and toilet facilities. Bedrooms on both floors can be accessed by a lift, stairs or stair-lift. There is level access to the garden from the ground-floor. The manager’s office is located adjacent to the reception area.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider failed to implement a robust approach to infection prevention and control (IPC) practice. This meant people were placed at increased risk from the spread of infection. We identified gaps in relation to risk assessment, management and associated guidance. This placed people at increased risk of experiencing avoidable harm. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet peoples’ needs, and employment checks were in place to prevent unsuitable staff working in the service. Staff spoke confidently about how they would protect people from harm and abuse. Safeguarding processes meant actions were taken if potential safeguarding concerns were identified.
The registered manager was not involved with the day-to-day running of the service. Audits and checks had not always been used effectively and had failed to identify the concerns, errors and omissions we found during our inspection. Staff spoke about people in a person-centred way, we observed kind and caring interactions between people and staff. The manager was introducing new ways of working to improve continuity of care.
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 good (published January 2022).
Why we inspected
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.
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about pressure ulcer management. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
After our inspection, the manager contacted us and told us about changes and improvements they had made in response to our feedback and findings at this inspection.
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 changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Westin Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to how the quality and safety of care provision is monitored, managed and assessed.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.