CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 30 Richmond Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found safe staffing arrangements, suitable recruitment checks, safe medicines management and regularly reviewed risk assessments. The home was also described as extremely clean.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and reviewed, and staff training was kept up to date. The home supported people's nutrition, health care and legal rights.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well, communicated in ways people understood and supported privacy, dignity, choice and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and adapted to changing needs. People were supported to maintain family relationships and pursue activities and interests they valued.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found clear leadership, regular audits and a focus on learning and improvement. The home worked with families, health professionals and other agencies.
What inspectors found, February 2019
30 Richmond Road was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and personalised support, with some records still being improved.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 22 January 2019. One inspector spoke with staff, relatives, commissioners and health professionals. They observed care and lunch, and checked care plans, health records, medicines, staffing and quality records.
The home continued to provide safe care. Medicines were stored, ordered and given safely. Staff training and recruitment checks were in place. People were supported to make choices, stay independent and take part in activities that mattered to them.
Inspectors found staff knew people well and treated them with kindness and dignity. Care was adapted to people's communication needs, health needs and preferences. The home worked with families and health professionals.
The overall rating remained Good, as did all five question ratings: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The report says there was no evidence of serious risks or concerns.
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored, ordered and given safely. Audits and a recent pharmacy inspection found no issues.
“The service were commended on their practice of safe medicine management.” from the report
Respectful care
Staff supported people in a kind and polite way while preserving their dignity, privacy and independence.
“People were supported with personal care in a way that preserved their dignity and privacy.” from the report
Personalised communication
Staff understood people's individual ways of communicating, including facial expressions, body language, pictures and words.
“We found that staff had a thorough understanding of how people communicated, illustrating clear understanding of people's facial expressions and body language.” from the report
Family relationships
The home helped people spend time with their families, including visits, trips home and holidays with staff support.
“Care staff worked hard at enabling people to spend time with their families when they were missing them.” from the report
Meaningful activities
Activities were based on people's interests and choices, including gardening, day centres, outdoor activities, bowling and visits to a local café.
“Staff offered people a wide variety of flexible and interesting activities that were meaningful to them.” from the report
Recruitment was under way
minorThe home was recruiting for 60 hours of care staff. Inspectors said existing vacancies did not affect staffing ratios, but families may want to ask about the current staffing position.
“The service was currently recruiting for 60 hours per week of care staff.” from the report
Care files were being improved
minorCare files were being redeveloped to make information easier to find. Three files had already been presented in a more concise format.
“Care files were currently being redeveloped to ensure the most up to date information was presented in an easily accessible format.” from the report
Supervision could be task-focused
minorStaff generally found supervision useful, although one comment suggested it could sometimes feel like a routine task.
“Supervisions are generally good, but can at times be completed as a task, nevertheless they do serve a function.” from the report
- 01How many care staff vacancies are there now, and how do you make sure staffing ratios are maintained?
- 02Have all care files now been redeveloped, and how do you make sure staff can quickly find current information?
- 03How often do staff receive supervision, and how do you make sure it is more than a routine task?
- 04How do you involve each person and their family in monthly care plan reviews?
- 05How do you support people to keep family relationships and take part in activities they choose?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; it used a shorter report format because the overall rating had not changed from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 February 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 30 Richmond Road
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Reading
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,010 to £1,270 a week. 86 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“The quality of life that she's given my parents has been priceless. The peace of mind she's given my sisters and I, through a very difficult time, has been invaluable.”
“I can truly say that Peter always put Dad at the centre of everything and I know that they found a great friendship in difficult times.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.