CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Aldercar Residential Care Home
Rated Inadequate: inspectors found the home performing badly and the CQC has taken enforcement action.
What inspectors found, January 2019
Aldercar Residential Care Home was rated Good overall, but inspectors found meal choices and some care records needed improvement.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection on 29 November 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, a relative, staff and a visiting health professional. They reviewed seven care records, medicines, staffing, safety and how the home was managed.
The home was rated Good for being safe, caring, responsive and well-led. People said they felt safe, staff were kind and respectful, and care was personalised. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, and people had activities and support to stay connected with others.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for being effective. Inspectors found that people did not always get the same positive experience at mealtimes, and staff did not always help people with dementia understand their meal choices. Some care plans and records about best-interest decisions were also not fully up to date or clear.
The overall rating stayed Good, the same as at the previous inspection published in May 2016. The home had improved its recruitment procedures, which had previously led to a Requires Improvement rating for Safe.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and found that medicines were safely received, stored and given.
“All medicines were safely received, stored and administered.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People described staff positively, and inspectors observed caring interactions. Staff respected privacy and dignity and used people's life histories and preferences.
“People told us that staff treated them with kindness and respect.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to take part in varied activities and to do more for themselves where possible.
“People participated in a wide range of meaningful and stimulating activities.” from the report
Learning and improvement
The home used audits, feedback and incident reviews to identify improvements. Recruitment procedures had improved since the previous inspection.
“Actions were taken and improvements were made when required.” from the report
Uneven mealtime experience
needs fixingOne dining area was calm, but people appeared rushed in another. Staff did not always help people with dementia understand the available meal choices.
“We recommend that the provider seek advice and guidance from a reputable source, about supporting people to make informed choices about their meals and how to improve their dining experience.” from the report
Care plans not always current
needs fixingSome records did not reflect people's latest needs or abilities. The care manager was reviewing the care plans.
“Changes to the extent of support people required was not always updated.” from the report
Best-interest records unclear
needs fixingStaff followed the Mental Capacity Act principles, but records did not always clearly show decisions made in people's best interests.
“Records were not always clear where decisions had been made in people's best interests.” from the report
Personal protective equipment
minorInspectors saw a staff member clean a spillage without wearing the required protective equipment. Management said it would remind staff about this.
“We saw a staff member cleaning a spillage without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).” from the report
- 01What has changed to ensure people are not rushed at mealtimes in either dining area?
- 02How do staff help people with dementia understand and choose between the available meals?
- 03How often are care plans checked and updated when a person's needs or abilities change?
- 04How are best-interest decisions recorded, and how do you check that these records are clear?
- 05What action has been taken to make sure staff use personal protective equipment when cleaning spillages?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five key questions, the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 January 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 Aldercar Residential Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Aldercar Residential Care Home →
- May 2016GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 August 2011.
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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75 live-in carers within about an hour of Nottinghamshire
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