CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Astbury View
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, December 2019
Rated Good overall, but inspectors found the home was not always well-led and rated leadership Requires Improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 20 November 2019. The inspector spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff, observed care, and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. People were supported by kind staff, had personalised care, access to health services and activities, and were involved in choices about their daily lives.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. Inspectors found that managers had not noticed some problems, including people being left without support in the lounge, missing medicine signatures and staff not signing updated policies. The overall rating remained Good.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives said staff were friendly, kind and respectful. Staff supported privacy and encouraged people to remain independent.
“People and their relatives told us the staff were polite, kind and promoted people's dignity, privacy and independence.” from the report
Personalised support
People and relatives were involved in care planning. Staff knew people's likes, dislikes, risks and communication methods.
“People using the service received individualised care and support to meet their needs.” from the report
Health and activities
People received support to attend health appointments and had annual health checks. They took part in activities at home and in the community.
“Records confirmed all people were involved in a range of external activities including, going into the community to shop, out for meals, out for a drive or a walk.” from the report
People left without support
needs fixingThree people were alone in the lounge for nearly an hour while a staff member cleaned. Managers did not notice this at the time.
“For nearly an hour three people were alone in the lounge.” from the report
Incomplete medicine records
needs fixingSome staff signatures were missing from medicine records for a small number of people. The management checks had not identified this.
“However, there were some staff signatures missing on a small number of people's records going back one to two weeks.” from the report
Policies not signed
minorOnly a small number of staff had signed some policies updated in September 2019. This meant staff might not have known about changes to working practices.
“However, to date, only a small number of the staff group had signed the policies and procedures.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure people are supervised and supported when staff are completing cleaning or other tasks?
- 02What checks are now in place to make sure every medicine administration is signed for?
- 03Have all staff read and signed the updated policies and procedures?
- 04What changes have been made since the inspection to improve management oversight?
- 05How will you maintain staffing levels when staff are off sick or there are vacancies?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the home, care provided and management systems reviewed. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 December 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.
What inspectors found, July 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with the home remaining Good since its previous inspection.
The inspection took place on 2 May 2017 and was carried out by one inspector. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They also observed care and reviewed care plans, staff records, audits and meeting notes.
The home supported nine people with learning disabilities. Inspectors found that people were kept safe, received their medicines correctly and had staff available when needed. Staff understood people's risks, preferences and changing needs.
People were supported to make choices and to receive healthcare. Inspectors saw warm relationships between people and staff. Families could raise concerns and were involved in care decisions.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. It had also been rated Good at the previous inspection, so the overall rating remained Good.
Individual safety support
Care plans included detailed risk assessments. Staff understood the support each person needed and responded promptly when people sought help.
“We reviewed three care plans and saw detailed risk assessments that guided staff on the individual risks people lived with.” from the report
Respectful relationships
Staff knew how each person communicated and responded in ways that helped people feel comfortable. They also supported people to make choices and remain as independent as possible.
“Staff responded in a way that was appropriate to each person and ensured people were happy with the responses they provided.” from the report
Care that changed with people's needs
Staff were updated when people's needs changed. Families were involved in discussions about important changes to care.
“Staff were updated on their changing needs so that the correct support could be provided.” from the report
Good management checks
The registered manager and provider checked care regularly. Staff said they could get advice and guidance when they needed it.
“The care people received was checked and updated regularly by the registered manager.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you keep our relative's risk assessments and care plan updated if their needs change?
- 02How do you support people who refuse a meal, activity or medicine, and what alternatives are offered?
- 03How do you use advice from healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, in daily care?
- 04How are families involved in care reviews and decisions about changing needs?
- 05How can we raise a concern, and how will you record and respond to it?
This was a full inspection covering all five CQC questions, based on observations, discussions with people, relatives and staff, and a review of care and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 July 2017 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 Astbury View
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 July 2014.
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 Walsall
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 £950 to £1,200 a week. 85 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
“I have never met a person who is so kind and thinks about others before himself to such an extent as Chris Malagala.”
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.