CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Autumn Gardens
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable infection prevention and control measures. These included visitor screening, PPE, testing, social distancing, hygiene measures and plans to prevent or manage outbreaks.
- 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, August 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection prevention measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspectors visited the home on 17 August 2020. This was an announced, targeted inspection focused only on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
They found good practice in visitor screening, personal protective equipment, staff training, testing, cleaning, social distancing and outbreak planning. Information was also translated into Greek for people, relatives and visitors.
The home was marked 'Inspected but not rated'. This means the visit checked infection control arrangements but did not give an overall quality rating or a full rating for the five care questions.
Visitor safety
Visitors received detailed information, were screened for COVID-19 symptoms and were given full PPE. This was intended to reduce the risk of infection spreading.
“All visitors were screened for symptoms of COVID-19 and were provided with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).” from the report
Support for families
The home had a large garden with shelter for safer family visits, although non-essential visits were restricted at the time because of possible infections.
“The service had an extensive garden area with shelter to allow safe visiting for families.” from the report
Accessible information
Information about infection prevention and control was translated into Greek for people, relatives and visitors.
“The home primarily supported people from the Greek community and had translated all guidance leaflets and information packs into Greek” from the report
Staff infection control
Staff were wearing full PPE and had regular training and updates about COVID-19, infection control and using PPE.
“Staff were wearing full PPE in line with government guidance and the provider's policy” from the report
Up-to-date guidance
The provider said it followed current government, health, CQC and local authority guidance, and updated its policies when needed.
“These were reviewed and updated when required.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What are the current rules for visiting, and is the garden still available for family visits?
- 02How are visitors currently screened and supported with PPE?
- 03How often do staff receive infection control and PPE training?
- 04How does the home arrange testing for residents and staff?
- 05How are infection outbreaks prevented or managed, and when was the infection control policy last updated?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control only; the service was inspected but not rated and the report does not assess the wider care questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 August 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.
What inspectors found, November 2018
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind care, but the safe rating was Requires Improvement because risk assessments were inconsistent.
Inspectors visited the home on 6, 7 and 8 August 2018. They spoke with people living there, staff, relatives and healthcare professionals. They also checked care records, medicines records, staff files and management information.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors found that people were treated kindly and with dignity. Staff supported people's healthcare, food and drink needs, activities and communication preferences. Medicines were given safely and on time, and call bells were answered promptly.
The Safe rating was Requires Improvement. Some risk assessments did not explain clearly enough how staff should manage known risks, including diabetes, urinary infections and pressure ulcers. Care plans were also not always personal enough, although the home had started updating them.
The home was well-led overall, with regular audits, meetings and feedback from families. The report also says there had been safeguarding investigations and a police investigation, with action taken by the home and further staff safeguarding training planned.
Medicines
Medicines were recorded, given on time and checked regularly. Staff who administered medicines had training and competency assessments.
“We saw that people's medicines were given on time and there were no omissions in recording of administration in the month prior to the inspection.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff treating people with kindness, patience, privacy and dignity.
“We observed kind and caring interactions between people and staff throughout the inspection.” from the report
Activities and interests
People could choose from varied activities, including activities in communal areas and one-to-one support for people who stayed in their rooms.
“Activities provided included exercise classes, sensory sessions, flower arranging, baking, board games and arts and crafts.” from the report
Communication and language
The home supported people to communicate in English, Greek and other languages. Care information was available in English and Greek, with support for staff who needed clarification.
“People were supported in their preferred language.” from the report
Management and monitoring
Staff and relatives said managers were approachable. Regular audits, meetings and surveys were used to monitor care and identify actions.
“There were regular audits that identified any actions required to improve the quality of care.” from the report
Incomplete risk guidance
seriousSome risk assessments did not explain how staff should recognise or manage known risks. This included diabetes, urinary infections and pressure ulcers.
“However, despite risks being identified, other risks assessments were not consistent and did not always provide enough information to enable staff to minimise known risks.” from the report
Care plans not always personal enough
needs fixingSome care plans did not record people's individual interests and preferences clearly enough. The home had begun updating them, but only seven had been updated at the time of inspection.
“However, care plans were not always person centred.” from the report
Confidentiality during handover
needs fixingInspectors saw a morning handover taking place in a communal lounge while people were present. The home said it would look at this immediately.
“On the first day of the inspection we observed a morning handover. This was done in one of the communal lounges with people present.” from the report
Safeguarding investigation
seriousThe report says a safeguarding alert about alleged abuse was being investigated by the appropriate agencies. The provider was also subject to a police investigation, while the home had taken disciplinary and training action.
“In mid-July 2018 a safeguarding alert was raised by the home regarding allegations of abuse; this is being investigated by appropriate agencies.” from the report
- 01Have all risk assessments now been updated, especially those covering diabetes, urinary infections and pressure ulcers?
- 02How will you make sure staff can quickly find and follow the correct guidance for my relative's risks?
- 03Has my relative's care plan been updated to include their interests, preferences and the activities they enjoy?
- 04What changes were made after the safeguarding alert and police investigation mentioned in the report?
- 05How do you protect people's privacy and dignity during staff handovers?
This was a planned inspection covering all five quality areas and the overall rating, including the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 November 2018 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 Autumn Gardens
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 January 2011.
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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