CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Carlton Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People's health, wellbeing and environmental risks were managed well. Medicines, infection control, safeguarding, staffing and legal authorisations were checked and found to be managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The provider and registered manager worked together to monitor quality. Audits were completed and used to identify improvements, including improvements to call bell response times.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Carlton Care Home rated Good; inspectors found safe care and stronger management after the previous Requires Improvement rating.
This was an unannounced focused inspection. Inspectors visited on 13 September 2022 and checked whether improvements had been made in Safe and Well-led after the previous inspection.
Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and reviewed care plans, medicine records, audits, training information and policies. They found risks, medicines, staffing and infection control were managed safely.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. The overall rating changed from Requires Improvement because the provider had made enough improvements and was no longer in breach of the regulations checked at this inspection.
Safer medicines practice
The home had improved how medicines were ordered, stored, given and disposed of. Staff training and competency checks were in place, including for creams.
“There was an effective system in place for the safe ordering, storage, administering and disposal of medicines.” from the report
Risks managed
Inspectors found that risks to people's health and the environment were assessed and managed. This included pressure sore prevention, catheter care and checks for water-related risks.
“The provider ensured potential risks to both people's health and wellbeing and the environment were assessed, monitored and managed well.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff on each shift to meet people's needs safely. Recruitment checks were also completed.
“Enough staff were available each shift to meet people's needs in a safe way.” from the report
Improved oversight
The provider and manager used regular audits and feedback to identify improvements. The report says the home was no longer in breach of the regulations identified at the previous inspection.
“Regular and effective audits were carried out on all areas of the service.” from the report
Communication and involvement
The home used a picture book to help people who found verbal communication difficult. It also asked people, relatives and staff for feedback.
“using a picture book to empower people who struggled with verbal communication, to be able to continue to express themselves.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you check that medicines, including creams, continue to be managed safely?
- 02How would you assess and manage my relative's specific risks, such as pressure sores or catheter-related risks?
- 03What infection prevention measures are currently in place, and how would you manage an outbreak?
- 04How would you support my relative to communicate if they have difficulty speaking?
- 05How do you monitor call bell response times and act on any delays?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 November 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 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection-control practice, but COVID-19 risk assessments did not cover pre-existing health conditions.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 4 March 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control because of CQC's work with care homes during coronavirus outbreaks.
Inspectors found clear visiting arrangements, good use of protective equipment, regular cleaning, safe testing and measures to support social distancing. They were assured that infection risks were being managed in these areas.
The home was not given an overall quality rating. The Safe area was marked 'Inspected but not rated', so this report does not tell you whether the home is generally safe, caring, effective, responsive or well-led.
Visiting arrangements
The home had clear arrangements for visits which followed government guidance.
“Clear processes were in place for visiting arrangements which followed government guidance.” from the report
Cleaning and hygiene
Extra cleaning was carried out and recorded. Inspectors also found the home clean, with processes for waste and laundry.
“Additional cleaning regimes were in place and staff recorded when they had completed these.” from the report
Protective measures
Inspectors were assured that PPE, testing, social distancing and admissions were being managed safely.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Staff support
Staff had regular meetings and supervision during the coronavirus period. The manager also gathered anonymous feedback from staff.
“Staff had regular meetings and supervisions throughout COVID-19.” from the report
Risk assessments missed existing health conditions
minorCOVID-19 risk assessments identified risks to people but did not consider how the virus could affect their pre-existing health conditions. Inspectors signposted the provider to resources to improve this approach.
“Risk assessments had been carried out for COVID-19 to highlight risks to people, however, they did not consider the impact of COVID-19 on people's pre-existing health conditions.” from the report
- 01How have you changed COVID-19 risk assessments so they include each person's pre-existing health conditions?
- 02How do you check that staff are using PPE safely and following social-distancing and hygiene guidance?
- 03How often are cleaning records, waste handling and laundry processes checked?
- 04How do you make sure visitors, new admissions and people being tested are managed safely?
- 05What did staff feedback after the coronavirus period lead you to change?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 March 2021 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 Carlton Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 February 2015.
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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