The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has raised the rating of Hepworth House from inadequate to good and removed it from special measures, following an inspection in November.
Run by 313 Healthcare Limited, Hepworth House is a care home for up to 20 older people who may be living with dementia or physical disabilities. 15 people were living in the home during this inspection.
CQC visited to follow up on the progress of improvements they were told to make at a previous inspection, in which CQC issued warning notices and imposed conditions on the home’s registration due to significant shortfalls in person-centred care and management. At this inspection, CQC found the service had made sufficient improvements in all aspects and they are no longer in breach of regulations.
CQC has raised the home’s ratings for effective and caring from inadequate to good. It raised the ratings for safe, responsive, and well-led from requires improvement to good.
Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of adult social care in the east of England, said:
“When we inspected Hepworth House, we were very pleased to find a new management team were now training and supporting their staff to provide people safe, person-centred care that respected their rights.
“People and their relatives told us the home felt safe, and our inspectors saw staff speaking to people with kindness and respect. Staff had involved them and their loved ones in updating their care plans, which were now tailored to their individual preferences and needs.
“We saw staff supported people to be as independent as possible and offered them choices in their daily lives, such as what they wanted to eat. The home enabled people to enjoy their hobbies and join activities if they wanted to, such as armchair exercises, bingo, or live entertainment.
“It was also great to see staff now understood how to safeguard people from risks of abuse, respected their consent, and upheld their rights, including for people with limited mental capacity. Where concerns had been raised, leaders had investigated and reported these quickly and appropriately.
“Staff at Hepworth House should be proud of the improvements they’ve achieved for their residents. We’ve shared our findings with the home’s management and will continue to monitor the service to ensure these improvements are embedded and sustained.”
Inspectors found:
- Leaders had increased staffing levels. Staff now had enough time to talk with people or take part in activities, and they knew the people in their care well.
- Staff checked on people regularly to make sure they were comfortable.
- Staff communicated with people in ways they could understand.
- Staff knew how to manage and reduce risks to people’s safety.
- Leaders had refurbished the home, which inspectors found safe and clean.
- Leaders had established an honest safety culture. When things went wrong, they investigated and made changes to protect people in future.
- The home made it easy for people to give feedback.
- The new management team had clear oversight of people’s care, and had the skills, experience and integrity to lead well.