CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Burnt Tree Croft
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, February 2020
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, effective care but weaknesses in risk management, medicines and leadership.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 January 2020. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They reviewed care and medicines records, checked staff and management records, observed daily life and looked around the building.
People were generally treated with kindness and respect. Staff knew people well, supported their choices and provided activities, food and healthcare that people were positive about. The home was rated Good for Effective, Caring and Responsive care.
The home was not always safe or well-led. Risks were not consistently reviewed and acted on, some topical medicines were not given exactly as prescribed, and staff said communication and support from managers were not always effective.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. This means the home was meeting some important standards, but CQC found weaknesses that needed improvement and gave limited assurance about safety.
Kind and respectful care
People said staff were kind and caring. Staff knew people's personalities, needs and preferences, and supported their dignity and independence.
“Staff were kind, caring and compassionate and they treated people well.” from the report
Skilled staff
Inspectors found staff were competent and had training in a range of subjects. People said staff knew what they were doing.
“Staff were competent, knowledgeable and skilled; they carried out their roles effectively.” from the report
Personalised support and activities
Care plans included people's preferences, life histories and interests. People could take part in activities and maintain relationships with relatives and friends.
“The provider employed two activity coordinators who arranged a programme of activities to keep people occupied and entertained.” from the report
Complaints were handled
People and relatives knew how to raise concerns. Inspectors found complaints were recorded, investigated and answered appropriately.
“Complaints were appropriately recorded, investigated and responded to.” from the report
Night-time risks
seriousAn ongoing risk on one floor at night had not been managed sufficiently. A lone staff member could not always monitor one person while providing care to others.
“Staff were aware of an ongoing risk posed to people on one floor of the home at night, however insufficient action had been taken by the provider to manage that risk.” from the report
Staffing pressure
needs fixingStaff said they often felt stretched because of sickness and staff shortages. They said this affected their morale and limited the time they had to engage with people.
“Staff regularly felt stretched and said they did not always have time to engage with each person as much as they wanted to.” from the report
Weak staff communication
needs fixingStaff were not always told about changes by managers and said their ideas or concerns were not always acted on. Staff meetings were not regular enough.
“Communication between the provider, managers and staff did not always ensure staff were made aware of any changes within the home.” from the report
Checks did not catch problems
needs fixingSome monitoring systems were not properly established. Checks of topical medicines records had not identified that staff were not always following the instructions.
“These systems needed to be properly embedded to ensure areas of improvement were always identified.” from the report
- 01What has changed to manage the ongoing night-time risk on the affected floor?
- 02How do you now make sure topical creams and other medicines are given exactly as prescribed?
- 03What staffing levels are in place at night, and how do you cover sickness or agency shortages?
- 04How are staff told about changes, and how are their concerns and suggestions followed up?
- 05What checks now show that previous safety and medicines problems have been fixed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five key questions; the previous January 2019 report was withdrawn and the last valid rating was Good, published in July 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 February 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.
Every inspection of Burnt Tree Croft
2 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- February 2020Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 February 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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90 live-in carers within about an hour of Sheffield
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 £1,020 to £1,270 a week. 76 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.”
“Beatrice was a talent dementia carer whose professionalism and dedication allowed mums wishes to remain in her own her come true.”
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.