CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Apsley House Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe, risks were assessed and reviewed, staffing levels met people's needs, and medicines were managed safely. Inspectors gave guidance about face coverings and staff movement between care homes.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received care based on assessments of their needs and choices. Staff were trained and supported, people had suitable food and healthcare support, and mental capacity requirements were followed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People and relatives were involved in care decisions, and staff supported independence and privacy.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences, communication needs, interests and religious beliefs. People had activities, support to keep in touch with relatives, and access to end-of-life care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had clear management structures and regular checks on care, medicines, incidents and infection control. People, relatives and staff said communication was good and their views were heard.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some infection-control guidance to strengthen.
Inspectors visited on 9 March 2021. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records. The inspection was prompted partly by safeguarding concerns, but they found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from those concerns.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People and relatives spoke highly of the care. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, detailed care plans, good access to healthcare and respectful relationships.
The home had measures to manage COVID-19 risks. Inspectors gave guidance about face coverings for staff who could not wear masks and about reducing staff movement between care homes. These points did not change the Good rating.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found that staffing levels were assessed according to people's needs and that staff deployment kept people safe.
“The deployment of staff met people's needs and kept them safe.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's history, preferences, communication needs and daily choices. Staff used this information to provide individual care.
“This detailed information gave staff a good understanding of people's family history, their individual personality, interests and preferences” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff being attentive, reassuring and respectful.
“We heard and saw staff being attentive and reassuring to people.” from the report
End-of-life support
The home planned end-of-life care around people's wishes. Staff had specific training and relatives spoke highly of the support provided.
“Staff were skilled in supporting people at the end of their lives.” from the report
Management checks
The management team used regular audits and action plans to monitor care and make improvements.
“There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.” from the report
Face-covering arrangements
needs fixingSome staff could not wear face masks for health reasons and used visors with a lower mouth covering. Inspectors said this did not provide the same level of protection and gave the manager guidance.
“We discussed with the registered manager how this did not offer the same level of protection as a face mask, to the staff member or to others.” from the report
Staff working across care homes
minorNot all staff worked exclusively at the home. The manager had considered alternatives, but no agency could guarantee an exclusive worker at that time.
“Not all staff worked exclusively at Apsley House Care Home.” from the report
- 01What arrangements are now in place for staff who cannot wear face masks?
- 02Do any staff currently work at more than one care home, and how is infection risk reduced?
- 03How will you review my relative's risks and update their care plan if their needs change?
- 04How will my relative and our family be involved in decisions about care and end-of-life wishes?
- 05How can relatives raise concerns, and how are complaints followed up?
This inspection covered all five CQC key questions and was the first inspection of the newly registered service under the current provider; the previous provider was last rated Good in August 2019. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 April 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 Apsley House Care Home
7 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2021Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2017Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2017Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2017Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- April 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 5 March 2020.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
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 £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.