Wellburn House

Wellburn House is a care home providing residential and dementia care for up to 35 people over 65 years old. At the time of the assessment, 28 people were living at the home.

The service was also registered to provide support to people with needs arising from substance misuse. However, there were no people receiving care and support with these needs at the time of our assessment.

During our assessment, we found several areas where improvements were required.

On the first day we visited the service, we identified the service did not always provide a homely environment where people were safe and comfortable. Environmental safety, cleanliness, infection prevention and control practice and medicines management needed improvement.

A shared culture was not embedded within the service. Managerial oversight did not always lead to best outcomes for people. Governance processes did not always identify issues in the home in a timely or consistent manner. Learning opportunities were not always identified or did not always translate into improvements.

Care was not always delivered in line with people’s assessed needs or preferences. There was mixed feedback from healthcare professionals regarding effective communication and care standards.

The registered manager was receptive to our feedback following day 1 and took steps to address these issues. There were noted improvements when we returned on the second day.

We observed a number of positive care interactions. Staff were kind, sensitive and thoughtful towards those they cared for. People were supported to maintain their independence through personal choice and control. The provider had a helpful staff support programme which promoted their wellbeing. There were enough trained and competent staff to meet people’s needs.

People and their families were involved in care and treatment decisions. The service worked with healthcare partners to meet people’s care needs and there was a varied and meaningful activities programme to support social wellbeing and community integration. Staff were confident about raising concerns and the service was keen to do the best for people.

The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to make improvements and learn. However, we were not fully assured about the sustainability of the improvements or best practices being embedded.

The provider was in breach of 2 legal regulations in relation to effective monitoring of safety and outcomes for people, safe environment, infection control processes and medicines management.