CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Balby
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, January 2024
Rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring and responsive support, with safe and well-led care rated Good.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 20 and 23 November 2023. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, staff, the registered manager and relatives. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, policies and information about how the home was managed.
The home supports up to eight younger adults with learning disabilities, mental health conditions or autism. Inspectors found people were safe, medicines were managed properly and there were enough suitably trained staff. People were supported to make choices, take positive risks and become more independent.
Care was rated Outstanding because staff treated people with exceptional compassion, dignity and respect. Responsive care was also Outstanding because people were supported to follow their interests, maintain relationships, communicate in their preferred ways and achieve personal goals.
The overall rating was Outstanding. Safe and well-led were rated Good. The previous overall rating was Good, published in March 2018. This was a focused inspection, so the Effective question was not inspected and the overall rating used some previous ratings.
Personalised support
Staff understood people's individual wishes, strengths and communication styles. They helped people make choices and work towards their own goals.
“Staff were guided on how to provide exceptional individualised person-centred support with detailed care plans which provided clear guidance on people's wishes.” from the report
Independence and confidence
People were supported to take positive risks and build everyday skills. This included education, volunteering, work, sport and learning to manage medicines.
“People were supported extremely well by staff who had a strong understanding of how to promote their independence and provide the maximum choice possible.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors found that staff treated people with compassion and respect. Relatives also described staff as caring and supportive.
“People were exceptionally well supported and treated. People's diverse needs and experiences were equally respected.” from the report
Meaningful lives
People were supported to take part in activities they chose, keep relationships, use local services and pursue employment and other ambitions.
“People were supported exceptionally well to maintain relationships, follow their interests, and take part in activities that were relevant to them.” from the report
Strong teamwork
The home worked with relatives and outside professionals. Staff and managers used audits, meetings and feedback to improve support.
“The provider consistently worked in partnership with others.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you support my relative's individual communication needs, especially if they do not communicate mainly through speech?
- 02What goals and ambitions would you help my relative work towards, and how would you support them to take safe positive risks?
- 03How would you involve my relative and our family in writing and reviewing their care plan?
- 04How would you support my relative to manage or become more independent with their medicines?
- 05What current information can you provide about the Effective area, which was not inspected during this visit?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Caring, Responsive and Well-led; Effective was not inspected and some ratings used for the overall result carried over from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 January 2024 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, March 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 22 January 2018. The inspector observed care, spoke with people, staff and the registered manager, and reviewed care plans, staff files, medicines records, complaints and other documents.
The home supported eight people with autism, learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Inspectors found people felt safe, staff were kind, medicines were managed safely, staffing levels were sufficient and care plans reflected people's needs and choices.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. At the previous inspection in December 2016, it was rated Requires Improvement and had breached Regulation 12 because some medicines were not managed safely. Inspectors found improvements had been made.
Safer medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were stored, recorded, given and disposed of appropriately. This was an improvement from the previous inspection.
“We found appropriate arrangements in place for obtaining, recording, administering and disposing of prescribed medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and respected their dignity, preferences and rights. People were supported to make choices and do things at their own pace.
“People were treated with kindness, dignity, respect and compassion.” from the report
Enough trained staff
Inspectors found sufficient staff on shift and appropriate recruitment checks. Staff received induction, ongoing training and support.
“There were enough staff on shift to ensure that people had their needs met in a timely manner.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's abilities, needs and preferences. People could choose meals, activities and how they spent their day.
“Support plans were specific to the person, for example, one person liked to be involved with preparing a meal.” from the report
Improved oversight
The home had systems for checking medicines, care plans, risks, accidents and the environment. These checks helped identify areas for improvement.
“An effective quality assurance process was in place to identify any areas for improvement.” from the report
Staff morale
needs fixingThe annual survey found that 17% of staff considered morale poor. Inspectors found no action plan explaining how this would be addressed.
“There was no action plan available to determine how this would be addressed or improved.” from the report
- 01What action has been taken to improve staff morale since the inspection?
- 02How will you make sure my relative's medicines, including any as-required medicines, are recorded and given safely?
- 03How will my relative's care plan be reviewed when their needs or preferences change?
- 04What activities could my relative choose, and how would staff support them to take part?
- 05How would you support my relative to make decisions if they lacked capacity for a particular decision?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions and the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 March 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 Balby
4 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- January 2024Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- March 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 November 2010.
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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92 live-in carers within about an hour of Doncaster
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. 77 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Carla has been a god send with the implementation of bringing mum back home from respite care.”
“I can honestly say without Petros I don't believe he would have lived an extra 2 years”
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.