CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Byron Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Staff understood people's risks, safeguarding and medicines needs. Inspectors found an unlocked cupboard containing potentially harmful cleaning products, plus earlier gaps in water-temperature and fire-safety records, but these were addressed after the inspection.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's health needs, communication needs and aspirations. Staff had relevant training and supported people with food, drink, healthcare and decision-making.
- Caring?
- Good
- People received kind and compassionate care. Staff respected privacy and dignity, listened to people's views and supported them to make choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support was personalised to people's communication, sensory and social needs. The home responded to complaints, involved people in planning and supported chosen activities and relationships.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager and provider showed a learning-focused culture and effective quality checks. Staff knew people well, and the home worked with health and social care professionals.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Byron Court was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, personalised care, with a few safety checks needing continued monitoring.
This was the first inspection since the home registered in September 2022. It was unannounced. An inspector visited on 26 July 2023 and the inspection activity continued until 2 August, including telephone calls with relatives.
Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, staff, a relative and a visiting health professional. They reviewed care plans, risk assessments, incident records, staff training, rotas, recruitment, medicines records and quality checks. They found people were safe, treated with kindness and supported by staff who understood their needs.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Some safety checks had needed improvement, including an unlocked cleaning-products cupboard and gaps in water-temperature and fire-safety records. These issues were dealt with after the inspection, and the home was asked to show that the improvements remain in place.
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, control their lives and develop greater independence. Restrictions were used only when necessary and after other approaches had failed.
“The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they had control over their own lives.” from the report
Kind, respectful care
Staff used calm and respectful approaches. They understood when people needed privacy and responded to emotional distress and sensory needs.
“People received kind and compassionate care from staff who used positive, respectful language which people understood and responded well to.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's individual needs, communication styles, interests and aspirations. People were supported to take part in activities that mattered to them.
“Staff provided people with personalised, proactive and co-ordinated support in line with their communication plans, sensory assessment and support plans.” from the report
Staff knowledge and staffing
Inspectors found enough trained staff to meet people's needs, including support for activities. Staff knew people well and regular staff cover was used to reduce disruption.
“The service had sufficient trained staff, including for 2:1 support for people to take part in activities how and when they wanted.” from the report
Safety checks needed embedding
minorThe cupboard containing potentially harmful cleaning products was not locked, although it was not accessible to people and was secured after the inspection. The home had also identified gaps in water-temperature records and outstanding fire-audit actions, which inspectors said needed to remain embedded.
“We found the COSHH cupboard containing cleaning products which could be potentially harmful if ingested was not locked.” from the report
- 01How are you checking that water temperatures and fire-safety actions continue to be recorded and reviewed?
- 02How would you maintain consistent staffing for my relative, including when agency staff are used?
- 03How do you make sure any restrictions during periods of distress remain necessary, least restrictive and reviewed?
- 04Who is currently responsible for management, and what is the progress of the application to register the new manager?
This was the first unannounced inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control and both the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 August 2023 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 Byron Court
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 September 2022.
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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75 live-in carers within about an hour of Nottinghamshire
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. 63 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Ernest is an amazing professional carer who delivers care from the heart.”
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.