CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ipswich
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Care and risk plans did not always give staff enough guidance about catheter care, fluid monitoring or repositioning people at risk of pressure wounds. Items stored under a stairway also created a fire safety risk, although they were removed immediately.
- 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
- Inspectors found an open and responsive management team. People and relatives said communication was good and that their views were sought.
What inspectors found, May 2022
Bethesda Eventide Homes - Ipswich was rated Good overall, but Safe Requires Improvement because some care risk records were incomplete.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 6 April 2022. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led because concerns had been raised about personal care support and record keeping. They spoke with people, staff and relatives, and reviewed care, medicines, staff and quality records.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for Safe. Care and risk plans did not always explain how to reduce risks linked to catheters and pressure wounds. Inspectors also found items stored under a stairway that could have increased fire risk, but these were removed immediately.
The home was rated Good for Well-led, and Good overall. People and relatives described kind care, good communication and a well-managed service. The registered manager responded promptly to the inspection findings by arranging extra oversight and record-keeping training.
Kind and reassuring care
People said staff responded to their personal care needs promptly and felt safe with the staff supporting them. Relatives also spoke positively about the caring culture.
“Everyone we spoke with told us they felt safe with all the staff who supported them.” from the report
Medicines systems
Medicines were stored securely and at suitable temperatures. Staff were trained and observed giving medicines safely, with regular checks in place.
“Medicines were stored securely and at appropriate temperatures.” from the report
Open management
Inspectors found the management team open and proactive. The registered manager acted promptly when inspectors identified problems.
“Throughout our inspection the management team were open and transparent and proactive in discussions and in their response to our findings.” from the report
Incomplete risk guidance
seriousCare and risk plans did not always explain how staff should manage catheter care or prevent pressure wounds. This meant there was an increased risk that people could be harmed.
“Care and risk management plans did not always guide staff in relation to risks of acquiring pressure wounds and catheter care.” from the report
Fire safety storage
seriousCardboard, walking frames and bags were stored under a stairway, creating a safety risk if there was a fire. The items were removed immediately after inspectors raised the issue.
“We identified a risk to people's safety in the event of a fire where we found cardboard, walking frames and bags being stored under a stairway.” from the report
Some medicines records were incomplete
needs fixingThere were gaps in records for topical medicines and inhalers. The registered manager addressed these promptly.
“Where we found gaps in records for the application of topical medicines and inhalers, this was promptly addressed by the registered manager.” from the report
- 01How are you now recording catheter care, including fluid input and output and when catheter bags should be changed?
- 02How do you record and check repositioning for people at risk of pressure wounds?
- 03What extra oversight and record-keeping training were introduced after the inspection, and how do you check that they are working?
- 04How do you now check that the area under the stairway remains clear and safe?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other key question ratings were not reviewed in this inspection and the previous overall rating was Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 May 2022 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 2019
Bethesda Eventide Homes - Ipswich is rated Good; inspectors found caring, safe support and major improvement since the last inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 25 January 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, staff, relatives and health professionals. They observed care and reviewed care records, medicines, recruitment and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were treated kindly, supported to make choices, given their medicines safely and helped to eat, drink and access healthcare.
The previous inspection in December 2017 found five legal breaches and rated the home Requires Improvement. At this inspection, the earlier problems had been addressed and the home was no longer in breach of regulations. Some improvements were still ongoing, especially the quality of daily records.
Safer care planning
Risk assessments were detailed and up to date. They included guidance for people with conditions such as diabetes, cancer and dementia.
“Risks to individuals were well managed.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff offer choices, protect privacy and encourage independence.
“People were supported by compassionate staff who were attentive to their needs.” from the report
Food and healthcare support
People could choose meals and received help to eat and drink. The home sought professional advice when health concerns arose.
“People were supported to maintain good health and had access to appropriate services, which ensured they received ongoing healthcare support.” from the report
Improved management
The management team had acted on the previous inspection findings. Monitoring of incidents, complaints, falls and medicines had improved.
“We saw that improvements had been made and were ongoing to people's care records and the systems and procedures used to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.” from the report
Daily records
needs fixingSome daily notes focused on tasks and did not consistently describe people's experiences, mood and wellbeing in respectful, enabling language. The home was working on this through staff training.
“We sampled some daily record entries for people and found they were task led and did not always reflect language that was enabling to people.” from the report
Room signs
minorSome people's rooms did not have clear signage or indicators in one part of the home. Management said this was still work in progress.
“Some people had good signage and indicators for their personal rooms, but others did not in one part of the service, the registered manager advised us that this was a work in progress.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to daily records since the inspection, and how do you check that they describe residents' mood and wellbeing?
- 02Have clear signs or indicators now been added to all residents' rooms?
- 03How do you review staffing levels when a resident returns from hospital or needs extra support?
- 04How are residents and relatives involved in reviewing care plans and decisions about care?
- 05How do you use feedback from residents and relatives to change menus, activities or other parts of the home?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC questions and both the accommodation and care provided; the home does not provide nursing care. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 March 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 Ipswich
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 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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