CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 26 St Barnabas Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including PPE, testing, hygiene, visiting and outbreak management. The provider also said it had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, April 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements during this targeted inspection.
Inspectors visited on 19 April 2022. The visit was announced five days in advance and focused on infection prevention, infection control and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They found the building was clean, supplies of protective equipment were available and stored properly, and hand hygiene points were clean and fully stocked. Visitors were screened for possible COVID-19 symptoms and checked for a negative lateral flow test before entering.
The home was also supporting people's wellbeing when they needed to self-isolate. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Clean environment
The building was clean, and hygiene points in bathrooms were accessible and fully stocked.
“The building was clean. There were sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment which were appropriately stored.” from the report
Visitor safety
Visitors were screened for possible COVID-19 symptoms and checked for a negative lateral flow test before entering.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Support during isolation
When people had to self-isolate, staff helped them keep in touch with family and friends and arranged suitable indoor activities.
“When people needed to self-isolate, staff supported people's wellbeing by maintaining people's links with families and friends” from the report
Infection control systems
Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable measures covering PPE, testing, hygiene, admissions and outbreak management.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you currently manage staffing pressures linked to COVID-19 or other absences?
- 02What checks are currently required before visitors enter the home?
- 03How do you support people to keep in touch with family and friends if they need to self-isolate?
- 04How do you currently provide testing and protective equipment for people and staff?
- 05When was the infection prevention and control policy last reviewed?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not provide ratings for the other four questions or an overall quality rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 April 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, October 2019
26 St Barnabas Road was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some records and privacy processes needing improvement.
This was an unannounced planned inspection. The inspector visited on 13 September 2019 and later carried out telephone interviews. They spoke with people, staff and professionals, observed care, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, medicines were managed safely, staff understood people's needs, and people were treated with dignity and respect.
The home supported six people with learning disabilities and associated health needs. Care was built around choice, independence and involvement in the community. Inspectors also found some shortfalls, including gaps in recruitment records and risks around access to private information, but these were addressed or being addressed during or after the inspection.
Personalised risk support
Risks were managed without unnecessarily restricting people's independence. Assessments explained what to do before and after a risk occurred.
“People were kept at the forefront of each risk assessment, ensuring their desire to complete activities or tasks was not minimised as a result of an identified risk.” from the report
Safe medicines
Staff had up-to-date training and checks of their competence. Records showed medicines were given as prescribed and stored safely.
“Medicines Administration Records (MARs) demonstrated that people had received their medicines as prescribed and in line with their medicine plans.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make everyday decisions, learn skills and take part in community activities. Care plans focused on what each person wanted to achieve.
“People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.” from the report
Strong professional links
The home involved relevant health professionals when people's needs changed. Inspectors found that staff followed professional advice.
“The service worked closely in partnership with GPs, dietitians, speech and language therapists, specialist teams and specialist nurses to make sure care and treatment met people's specific needs.” from the report
Good management oversight
The manager used regular audits, feedback and action plans to monitor the service and make changes.
“The quality of the service was monitored through robust governance processes.” from the report
Recruitment records
needs fixingInspectors found gaps in some staff files, including missing employment history and checks that had not been cross-referenced. The manager corrected these issues and introduced a clearer recruitment policy.
“The provider's recruitment process was identified during the inspection to have gaps.” from the report
Bathroom privacy
needs fixingBathroom doors were not locked and there was initially no sign to show when personal care was taking place. Signage was created and put up within a few hours.
“This meant that other people or staff could enter the bathroom without knowing that someone was being supported.” from the report
Confidential records
needs fixingPeople's care files were accessible on an office bookshelf when the room was left open to an outside engineer. The manager later provided evidence that secure storage had been purchased.
“People's confidential information was left on the bookshelf.” from the report
Accessible meeting records
minorNot all meeting minutes were kept in people's preferred communication format. The manager agreed that key worker sessions could hold this information in the person's preferred style.
“The registered manager acknowledged that not all meeting minutes were retained in people's preferred communication method.” from the report
- 01How do you now check employment dates, character checks and gaps in a new recruit's work history before they start?
- 02What arrangements are now in place to protect privacy when someone is receiving personal care in the bathroom?
- 03How are people's confidential care files kept secure when visitors, contractors or engineers need access to the office?
- 04How do you record residents' meetings and key worker discussions in each person's preferred communication format?
- 05How will you support each person if they need end of life care, and how are their wishes recorded?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided; the previous overall rating and each question rating were also Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 October 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of 26 St Barnabas Road
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 December 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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