CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Aaron View Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were managed safely and medicines were given as prescribed, although some medicines records were incomplete.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff understood them. People received enough food and drink and had access to healthcare, although improvements were identified around dementia training, menus and accessible information.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was not given in this report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was not given in this report.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Management systems and audits were in place, and issues were acted on. Some relatives said communication and responses were not always as timely as they should be.
What inspectors found, January 2024
Aaron View Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with some records, agency staffing and activities needing attention.
Inspectors visited without notice on 7 December 2023. Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and visiting professionals. They looked at the building, care records, staff files and management records.
People told inspectors they felt safe and that staff cared for them well. Medicines were given as prescribed, risks were managed, and people could access healthcare. Staff knew people well, treated them kindly, and supported them with food, drink and personal choices.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective and Well-led were each rated Good. The report says some minor medicines-record concerns were fixed immediately, while other improvements were agreed, including more activities, better communication and clearer information for people living with dementia.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report possible abuse.
“People felt safe living at the home and told us staff cared for them well.” from the report
Kind, person-centred care
Staff knew people well and understood their preferences and needs. Inspectors saw kind and considerate interactions.
“Staff were kind and considerate in their interactions with people.” from the report
Food and healthcare
People had enough to eat and drink, and care records included their nutritional needs. Healthcare support was available when needed.
“People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and had enough to eat and drink.” from the report
Management oversight
The home used audits to identify problems and create action plans. Inspectors found that improvements were acted on promptly.
“A series of audits were in place to monitor, support, and highlight areas for improvement.” from the report
Medicines records
needs fixingCompetency checks for staff were not always recorded. There were also gaps in one person's body-map records for a daily patch. These issues were acted on immediately, but the recording system needed review.
“However, the recording of competency checks was not always completed.” from the report
Agency staff
needs fixingPeople, relatives and staff raised concerns about agency staff, particularly at night. The concern was that temporary staff might not know people and their support needs well enough.
“There are too many agency staff, especially at nights and weekends, though it's not about them being unhelpful, it's their lack of knowledge of the people here.” from the report
Activities
minorPeople, relatives and staff said the range and frequency of activities could be better. Management agreed to review whether more staff hours could be used for activities.
“People, staff and relatives also commented that the range and frequency of in-house activities could be improved.” from the report
Communication with relatives
minorSome relatives said communication could be better and that they did not receive updates about feedback questionnaires and planned actions. Some also said responses were not always timely.
“However, some relatives did comment that communication could be better and although questionnaires were in place, they did not receive an update on overall findings and action to be taken.” from the report
Dementia-friendly information
minorSome areas needed refurbishment. The home also had limited signs and accessible information to help people living with dementia find their way around.
“However more work was required in meeting people's cultural needs with minimal signage and accessible information to navigate around the home for those people with dementia.” from the report
- 01How many agency staff work at night and how do you make sure they know each resident's needs?
- 02What changes have been made to check and record medicines competency checks and patch body maps?
- 03What activities are now available, and how often are they provided?
- 04How do you update relatives about feedback, planned actions and concerns?
- 05What progress has been made with dementia-friendly signs and accessible information?
This inspection covered Safe, Effective and Well-led; the other key questions were not inspected during this visit and the overall rating used information from the previous inspection where needed. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 January 2024 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, May 2021
Aaron View Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured about infection control, but found no recorded outbreak contingency plan.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 22 April 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that visitors, new admissions, people living in the home and staff were protected from infection. They found effective use of protective equipment, testing, cleaning, hygiene measures and social distancing.
The home had several ways for relatives to visit safely, including outdoor and indoor visiting areas. However, the registered manager had not put the home's outbreak arrangements into a recorded contingency plan for staff to follow.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not give a graded overall rating or a full rating for all five areas of care.
Safe family visits
The home provided outdoor and indoor visiting arrangements and planned routes to reduce visitors entering shared areas.
“The home had systems in place to support relatives to visit their family members, minimising the risk of infection.” from the report
Clean premises
Inspectors found the premises clean and hygienic, with frequent cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.
“The premises were clean and hygienic. Frequent touch points, such as handrails and doorknobs were regularly cleaned.” from the report
Testing and vaccination
People living and working at the home had been offered a vaccine and were regularly tested in line with government guidance.
“All people living and working at Aaron View Care Home had been offered a vaccine and were regularly tested for COVID-19 in line with government guidance.” from the report
No written outbreak plan
needs fixingThe manager knew what action to take, but the plan was not recorded for other staff to use. The manager told CQC this would be addressed immediately.
“Although the registered manager knew what action to take to safely manage an outbreak, they had not formalised this into a recorded contingency plan, so that other staff members had access to clear information on what steps to follow should they need to.” from the report
- 01Has the recorded contingency plan for managing an infection outbreak now been completed?
- 02How are staff shown what steps to follow if an outbreak occurs?
- 03How are indoor and outdoor visits arranged now, and are visits to people's rooms still possible in exceptional circumstances?
- 04How often are people living at the home and staff tested for COVID-19?
- 05How does the home check that protective equipment, handwashing and cleaning procedures are being followed?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe question; it did not provide ratings for the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 May 2021 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 Aaron View Care Home
4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2024Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 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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90 live-in carers within about an hour of Sheffield
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 £1,020 to £1,270 a week. 76 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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