CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Arden Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including visitor checks, testing, PPE, cleaning, ventilation, isolation and admissions.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong COVID-19 infection control arrangements, with additional staff training still being arranged.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 5 March 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than carrying out a full inspection of the home.
Inspectors found arrangements for visitors, testing, personal protective equipment, cleaning, ventilation, isolation and new admissions. They were assured that the home was managing infection risks and had enough staff to care for people safely.
The home had helped people keep in touch with family through video calls, window visits and a visiting pod. Staff had received internal infection control training, but additional training from the local authority had not yet taken place at the inspection, although this was later arranged.
The service was marked 'Inspected but not rated'. This means the inspection did not give a new overall quality rating.
Visitor infection checks
Visitors were given infection control information, had temperature checks and completed symptom questionnaires. Lateral flow testing was used when needed.
“At the entrance of the home, information was displayed to inform visitors about any infection control procedures to be followed.” from the report
Keeping families connected
The home used video calls, window visits and a visiting pod to help people stay in touch with family and friends safely.
“A 'visiting pod' had been installed in one of the quiet lounge areas, enabling people living at the home to see members of their family in a safe environment” from the report
PPE and hygiene
Inspectors saw enough PPE, staff wearing it during the visit, hand sanitiser stations and a clean and tidy home.
“Enough PPE was available and we saw staff wore it at all times during our visit.” from the report
Managing infection risks
The home used zoning for people who tested positive, carried out testing, completed risk assessments and undertook infection control audits.
“Zoning arrangements were used when people had tested positive for COVID-19 and needed to self-isolate” from the report
Additional staff training
needs fixingStaff had not yet received additional infection control training from the local authority when inspectors visited. The home later confirmed that this had been arranged.
“There were enough staff to care for people safely, although staff had not yet received additional infection control training from the local authority during the pandemic.” from the report
- 01Has all the additional infection control training from the local authority now been completed?
- 02What are the current arrangements for visiting family members, including testing and PPE?
- 03How does the home manage isolation and zoning if someone tests positive for COVID-19 or another infection?
- 04What is the home's latest full CQC rating, given that this inspection was not rated?
- 05How are infection control audits carried out, and what happens when they identify a problem?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; it did not provide a full rating for the other care questions or an overall quality rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 March 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.
What inspectors found, February 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
The home provided personal and nursing care for 35 people, with space for up to 47. The inspection was unannounced and took place over two days. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicine, staff and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and that staff were kind, respectful and attentive. Inspectors found personalised care plans, appropriate risk management, safe medicines systems, suitable staffing and a range of activities.
The home had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection, published in January 2019. Inspectors found that the earlier problems with medicines, risk management, records and governance had been addressed. The home was no longer in breach of regulations.
Safe medicines
Medicines were managed safely, including medicines that had to be given at particular times. Staff knew when these medicines were due.
“Medicines were managed safely. The service had worked closely with the clinical commissioning group (CCG) to implement changes.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People described staff as kind, caring and respectful. Inspectors saw friendly conversations and staff responding attentively to people's needs.
“Staff engaged with people in a friendly and caring manner and their conversations with people were good natured.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included detailed information about people's needs, abilities, preferences and routines. People and relatives were involved in reviews.
“People's care plans were personalised, which included detailed information about their individual needs, abilities and preferences.” from the report
Good end of life support
People could record their end of life wishes. Staff had training and worked with health professionals to provide this care.
“People had the option to make their end of life wishes known and detailed end of life care plans were in place.” from the report
One referral was not made quickly enough
needs fixingA visiting professional said the home could have been faster in referring one person. Management knew about this and shared the learning with staff.
“A visiting professional was positive about the care the service provided, however they told us the service could have been faster in making a referral to them in relation to one person.” from the report
- 01How do you check that the improvements to medicines and risk management have continued since this inspection?
- 02How quickly do you refer people to health professionals when their needs change?
- 03How are relatives involved in care plan reviews and decisions about daily care?
- 04How do you check that daily care records accurately reflect the care people have received?
- 05What activities and outings are available for someone with my relative's interests and abilities?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and inspectors looked at both the care provided and the home itself. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 February 2020 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 Arden Court
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- February 2020Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2019Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 March 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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Salford
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 90 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Primrose is a very kind and compassionate healthcare professional”
“She is an exemplary carer, she is knowledgable empathetic and very respectful in the home.”
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.