CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Blair Park Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, December 2022
Blair Park Residential Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe staffing, medicines and leadership, but this was a focused inspection.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 27 September 2022. They spoke with people living in the home, a relative and staff, and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable risk assessments, safe medicines practice and good safeguarding arrangements. They also found that the home followed infection control guidance.
The inspection was prompted by concerns about staffing and management. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Safe and well-led were both rated Good, while the other three question ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff on both day and night shifts. They also saw night staff respond quickly and appropriately to call bells.
“We found that there were enough staff available during the day and at night to support people's needs and rotas confirmed this.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicine records had no gaps or omissions. Staff were trained, their competence was checked and inspectors saw them follow the home's procedures.
“Medicines were safely managed and administered. Staff received appropriate medicine administration training.” from the report
Safeguarding and risk management
Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. Risks relating to people's care, mobility and the environment were assessed and reviewed.
“People were protected from the risk of harm as robust safeguarding procedures were in place and staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities.” from the report
Learning from incidents
The manager reviewed accidents and incidents, looked for patterns and took action. Inspectors gave an example where a medicine review followed repeated falls.
“The manager had reviewed incidents and accidents to ensure these had been dealt with correctly by staff and to identify any learning which could reduce the risk of reoccurrence.” from the report
Positive leadership culture
Staff described the manager as approachable and supported. Inspectors observed kind interactions and found systems for audits, feedback and communication.
“We observed a positive culture in the service during the inspection.” from the report
Manager registration pending
minorThere was no registered manager in post at the inspection. A new manager had applied to register, but the application was still being assessed.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01What is the current position on the manager's application to register?
- 02How many staff are planned for day and night shifts, and how do you adjust this when people's needs change?
- 03What checks do you use to make sure medicines remain recorded and administered safely?
- 04What has changed in the activity programme and other improvements promised after feedback from people, relatives and staff?
- 05When will the other care quality areas be reviewed again, as they were not inspected during this visit?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the Effective, Caring and Responsive ratings were carried forward from the last inspection in 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 December 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 2022
Blair Park Residential Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 infection controls.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 10 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also asked about staffing pressures and their effect on care.
Inspectors found arrangements for safe visiting, including checks of visitors’ test results, temperature checks, hand sanitising and face masks. There were plans to isolate people with COVID-19, good supplies of protective equipment, regular testing and enhanced cleaning.
The overall service and Safe rating were both recorded as “Inspected but not rated”. This means the visit was a focused check of infection control, not a full assessment of the home’s overall quality or all five areas of care.
Safe visiting
Visitors were checked before entering and were given clear infection control measures to follow. Separate visiting areas helped reduce the risk of infection spreading.
“Visitors were asked about their Lateral Flow Test (LFT) result to ensure they were negative before staff facilitated the visit” from the report
Outbreak planning
The home had plans to isolate people with COVID-19 and had supplies of masks and hand sanitiser available throughout the building.
“Plans were in place to isolate people with COVID-19 to minimise transmission if required.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the building clean and uncluttered, with enhanced cleaning in place. Staff had received training and were regularly tested.
“The building was clean and free from clutter and there were enhanced cleaning practices.” from the report
Guidance needed updating
minorInspectors signposted the registered manager to the latest government COVID-19 guidance so the home could develop its approach. This was a minor improvement point, not a reported breach.
“We have signposted the registered manager to the latest government guidelines on Covid-19 to develop their approach.” from the report
- 01How are you managing any COVID-19-related staffing pressures now?
- 02What are the current arrangements for visits, including testing, masks and visiting areas?
- 03What is the current process for isolating someone who has COVID-19?
- 04How often are staff tested and trained in infection prevention and control?
- 05What changes have you made after being signposted to the latest government COVID-19 guidance?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about staffing pressures; it was not a full assessment of all five care areas and the service was not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 March 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.
Every inspection of Blair Park Residential Care Home
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Blair Park Residential Care Home →
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Blair Park Residential Care Home →
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 December 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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