CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at April Cottage Retirement Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. There were enough staff, risk assessments were reviewed, recruitment checks were completed and medicines were stored and given safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had the skills and experience to meet people's needs. People had choice over meals, received support with eating and drinking, and were helped to access healthcare professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care and supported to remain as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised around people's histories, preferences and interests. The home supported complaints and used feedback to make changes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The provider and manager had systems to monitor care quality and understood their responsibilities. Staff, people and relatives could give feedback, and the report says feedback was acted on.
What inspectors found, February 2019
April Cottage Retirement Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with no breaches reported.
This was an unannounced inspection on 7 February 2019. One inspector and one expert by experience visited the home. They spoke with seven people, three relatives, a district nurse, the manager and one care worker. They also reviewed care records, medicine records, staff training, recruitment checks and quality monitoring documents.
The inspectors rated all five areas Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. They found enough staff, safe medicine systems, clean surroundings and suitable risk assessments. People were supported to make choices, stay independent, eat and drink well, and access health professionals.
People and relatives described staff as kind, attentive and respectful. The home involved people in care planning and acted on feedback and complaints. This was the first inspection under the new provider, so there was no earlier rating for comparison.
Staff available
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. People said staff responded promptly and were readily available.
“People told us that staff responded promptly to their needs and requests.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with dignity and respect. Inspectors observed caring interactions and staff who adapted their communication.
“People were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff knew people's preferences and supported their choices, interests and independence. Care plans were written with people's involvement.
“Staff understood and promoted people's individuality and tailored the support they provided to meet their individual needs and preferences.” from the report
Good leadership
The provider and manager used audits, feedback and complaints to monitor and improve care. Staff could access support and guidance.
“Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and review my relative's individual risks and emergency evacuation needs?
- 02How do you check that medicines, including as-needed medicines and any medicines a resident manages themselves, are used safely?
- 03How will you support my relative's food preferences and any help they need with eating and drinking?
- 04How are residents and relatives involved in care plan reviews, and how much notice is given?
- 05What activities, outings or support for personal interests would be available for my relative?
This was an unannounced inspection of the care and premises, covering all five CQC questions; it was the first inspection under the new provider. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 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 April Cottage Retirement Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- February 2019Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at April Cottage Retirement Home →
- January 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 January 2018.
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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