Ryhope Manor Care Home

Ryhope Manor Care Home accommodates up to 31 people with residential and nursing care needs in one adapted building. On the day of our inspection, 23 people were using the service.

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

Staffing levels were planned and monitored to ensure people received safe support. New staff were safely recruited and inducted into the service. Effective infection prevention and control systems were in place.

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 15 October 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this targeted inspection to check on a specific concern we had received about the recruitment of new staff and the use of agency staff at the service. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

We also 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 Ryhope Manor Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

We found the following examples of good practice:

• Appropriate measures were in place at the entrance and in the home to reduce the risk of infection.

• Social distancing rules were being complied with. Some minor changes had been made to the layout of furniture to encourage and support social distancing.

• The provider was following national guidance for anyone moving into the home and admissions were carried out safely.

• People were supported to keep in touch with their family members via video or telephone calls. The provider was developing ways to safely support visits in line with the latest guidance.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was appropriately stored, used and disposed of. Staff had undertaken additional training in infection prevention and control and regular audits were carried out.

• Staffing levels had been maintained during the recent outbreak with the support of agency staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Ryhope Manor Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Ryhope Manor Care Home accommodates 29 people across two floors in one adapted building. The service provides accommodation for people with nursing and personal care needs. Some of the people using the service had a dementia type illness. At the time of the inspection there were 21 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This is the first inspection of this service under the management of Conags Care Limited, who registered with CQC to manage this service in September 2017. We last inspected this service in January 2017 when it was managed by another provider.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and investigated. Risk assessments were in place for people who used the service and described potential risks and the safeguards in place to mitigate these risks. The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Medicines were stored safely and securely, and procedures were in place to ensure people received medicines as prescribed.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service. Appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant vetting checks when they employed staff. We have made a recommendation that the registered manager formally records what proof of identification has been checked when recruiting new staff.

Staff were supported in their role via appropriate training and regular supervisions.

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.

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. Care records contained evidence of people being supported during visits to and from external health care specialists.

People who used the service and family members were complimentary about the standard of care at Ryhope Manor Care Home. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and support plans were written in a person-centred way. Person-centred is about ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support and their individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account.

Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests, and to help meet their social needs. The service had good links with the local community.

People who used the service and family members were aware of how to make a complaint. The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place. People, family members and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service via meetings and surveys.