CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Askham Grove
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks, including visitors, PPE, testing, social distancing, cleaning and possible outbreaks. This was a focused check of infection prevention and control, not a full safety rating.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Askham Grove was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 23 March 2021. It checked how the home was preventing and controlling COVID-19 infection in response to the pandemic.
Inspectors found the home clean and free from clutter. There were cleaning schedules, social distancing guidance, screened visiting arrangements, good supplies of personal protective equipment, testing, risk assessments and plans for managing an outbreak.
Staff received infection control training and competency checks. Relatives were also given infection control training. Inspectors were assured across all the infection control areas they checked.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the report gives no overall quality rating or rated question scores.
Clean environment
The home was clean and free from clutter. Frequently touched areas were sanitised every two hours.
“The service looked clean and was free from clutter. Cleaning schedules ensured frequently touched areas were sanitised every two hours.” from the report
Planned visiting arrangements
Visitors booked in advance and followed infection control procedures. A screened area was available to support safer visits.
“Visitors were required to book their visits in advance and follow the providers infection control procedures.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The home was divided into four zones, with staff allocated to zones during shifts. Inspectors said this helped reduce staff movement around the home.
“The home had been divided into four zones and staff were allocated to these zones at the start of their shift.” from the report
Training and checks
Staff received infection control training and competency assessments. Relatives were also given training to support their understanding.
“All staff received training in infection control, good hand washing technique and the correct use and disposal of PPE.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently booked in and what infection control procedures must they follow?
- 02How often are frequently touched areas cleaned now?
- 03How do you manage staff zones if there is a suspected or confirmed outbreak?
- 04How do you check that staff are using personal protective equipment correctly?
- 05What testing arrangements are currently in place for residents and staff?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the report does not assess all areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 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.
What inspectors found, August 2019
Askham Grove rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but noted an ongoing problem with some medicines being received.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 12 and 13 June 2019. Two inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff. They reviewed care plans, medicine records, recruitment files, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, accurate medicine records, clean surroundings, kind care and detailed care plans. People were supported to make choices and stay as independent as possible.
There was an ongoing problem with receiving prescriptions and medicines from the local GP surgery. Inspectors said people had sometimes not received their medicines, although staff kept contacting the surgery and pharmacy about this.
The previous rating was Requires Improvement, with several breaches of regulations. The home had improved and was no longer in breach at this inspection. Well-led had also improved from Inadequate to Good.
Enough trained staff
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and said they had the skills to meet people's needs. Staffing levels took rehabilitation and psychological needs into account.
“There were enough staff on duty to support people safely and we saw that they had the skills to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People said staff were kind and caring. Staff protected privacy, maintained confidentiality and encouraged people to do what they could for themselves.
“People said that staff were kind and caring and they commented positively about staff members.” from the report
Detailed care planning
Care plans were personalised and gave staff clear guidance about people's needs, including mental and psychological health needs. Plans were reviewed each month or sooner if needs changed.
“People had care plans in place, which were personalised and written in detail.” from the report
Good support with meals
People could choose where to sit, eat at their own pace and choose what they wanted. Staff supported people who needed help with eating and drinking.
“People chose where they sat, they were able to eat at their own pace and both courses and mealtimes were appropriately spaced apart.” from the report
Improved management
The home had improved from the previous inspection. Inspectors found that quality checks identified problems and that action was taken to reduce the chance of them happening again.
“At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.” from the report
Delays receiving medicines
seriousThe home reported an ongoing problem with receiving prescriptions and medicines from the local GP surgery. Inspectors said this had sometimes meant people did not receive their medicines.
“This meant people had sometimes not received their medicines, despite staff members continued contact with the surgery to request these.” from the report
- 01What is now being done to prevent delays in receiving prescriptions and medicines from the GP surgery?
- 02How would you respond if a person's medicine did not arrive on time?
- 03How do you make sure each person's care plan remains up to date when their needs change?
- 04How do you check that there are enough staff with the right skills for people's rehabilitation and psychological needs?
- 05How can relatives give feedback or raise a concern, and how will we be told what action was taken?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the care provided and the home premises; the previous rating was Requires Improvement and the home had been in breach of several regulations. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 August 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 Askham Grove
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2018Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- December 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 December 2016.
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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17 live-in carers within about an hour of Cambridgeshire
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 £1,200 a week. 14 can care for a couple. 12 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.