CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Charlton Kings Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found safe medicines arrangements, enough staff, safeguarding procedures and systems for assessing and reducing risks. Infection prevention and control arrangements were also in place.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found visible and approachable management, good communication with families, regular quality checks and a strong culture of learning and improvement.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Charlton Kings Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe care and strong management, with no evidence of harm from the medicines concern that prompted the inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 15 and 16 February 2023. One inspector and one Expert by Experience spoke with people living at the home, relatives, visitors and staff. They also checked medicines, care records, recruitment files, training, maintenance and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines systems, risk assessments, safeguarding processes and effective infection control arrangements. People and relatives said people felt safe and well cared for.
The inspection was partly prompted by concerns about medicines. Inspectors found no evidence that people had been harmed by this concern. The home had systems for learning from incidents, checking quality and acting on feedback.
The overall rating remained Good, the same as at the previous inspection published in May 2018. The other three key question ratings were not inspected at this visit and were carried over from the previous inspection.
Safe medicines support
Medicines were administered by trained staff whose skills were checked regularly. People who were assessed as able to do so were supported to manage their own medicines.
“Medicines were administered by staff who had received training to do this and whose competencies in this task were checked regularly.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found there were enough staff with the knowledge and skills to meet people's needs. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“There were enough staff with the right knowledge and skills to meet people's needs.” from the report
Good management
People and relatives described managers as approachable and communication as good. The provider used audits, digital systems and feedback to monitor and improve the service.
“There was a strong culture of reflection and learning from situations which had not gone to plan, challenges and feedback so continued improvements could be made to the service.” from the report
Clean and infection-ready
The home had systems for cleaning, laundry and infection prevention. Families and visitors could visit without restrictions.
“There were established systems in place to keep the environment clean and to manage people's laundry.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you now check medicines administration and respond if a medicines error or concern is found?
- 02How do you make sure there are enough suitably trained staff at all times, including when regular staff are absent?
- 03How are risks such as falls, choking, poor nutrition and pressure ulcers assessed and reviewed for my relative?
- 04How will you share the results of the next satisfaction questionnaire and explain any action taken?
- 05What evidence can you provide about the current quality of care in Caring, Effective and Responsive, since these areas were not inspected during this visit?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, prompted partly by medicines concerns; the other ratings carried over from the 2018 inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 March 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.
What inspectors found, May 2018
Charlton Kings Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with some end-of-life practice still being developed.
Inspectors visited on 12 and 13 March 2018. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They reviewed care files, training, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable training and effective links with health professionals.
People and relatives spoke positively about the care. Staff were seen to be kind, patient and respectful. Care plans recorded people's preferences, and the home offered a wide range of activities and support at the end of life.
The report identified some development work. One electronic care plan did not contain all speech and language therapy guidance, Equality and Diversity training had not yet been provided to staff, and the home was advised to continue developing its end-of-life care.
Safe staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and a consistent team. Recruitment checks, including references and DBS checks, were used to help ensure staff were suitable.
“There were sufficient numbers of staff working at Charlton Kings Care Home.” from the report
Medicines managed safely
Medicines records showed that people received medicines as prescribed. Staff completed training and competency checks before administering medicines independently.
“Medication administration records (MAR) demonstrated that people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as caring and compassionate. Inspectors observed positive relationships and support that promoted dignity, choice and independence.
“People were treated with kindness and care.” from the report
Activities and personalisation
Care plans recorded people's preferences and routines. The home offered activities such as exercise, arts and crafts, visits and trips, as well as one-to-one sessions.
“People were supported on a regular basis to participate in meaningful activities.” from the report
Quality improvement
The management team used audits, feedback and action plans to improve the service. Inspectors found evidence of learning from incidents and feedback.
“Quality monitoring systems and regular audits were used to further improve the service.” from the report
Missing therapy guidance in one care plan
needs fixingOne person's electronic care plan did not include all speech and language therapy guidance for safe eating. The manager took immediate action to provide a complete risk management record.
“Their electronic care plan did not include all their SALT guidelines and the registered manager took immediate action to ensure a comprehensive risk management record was available to staff.” from the report
Equality and Diversity training
minorStaff had not yet received Equality and Diversity training when inspectors visited. The report says this had been identified and training was being organised.
“Staff had not yet had access to training in Equality and Diversity but this had been identified and specific training being organised.” from the report
End-of-life care still developing
minorInspectors found good, person-centred end-of-life care but recommended further development so practice could become outstanding and innovative. The home was working towards recognised accreditation.
“We recommend the provider continues to develop and embed their good end of life care practice to enable the service to become outstanding and innovative in providing person-centred end of life care.” from the report
- 01Has the electronic care plan issue been fully corrected, and how do you make sure all speech and language therapy guidance is available to staff?
- 02Has all Equality and Diversity training now been completed, and how is staff understanding checked?
- 03What progress has been made towards the nationally recognised end-of-life care accreditation mentioned in the report?
- 04How do you make sure there are enough activities at weekends, as this was raised by a staff member?
- 05How are relatives involved in monthly care plan reviews and decisions about changing needs?
This inspection looked at the premises and care provided and assessed all five CQC questions; it was the first inspection under the current provider registration. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 May 2018 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 Charlton Kings Care Home
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2018GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 September 2016.
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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38 live-in carers within about an hour of Gloucestershire
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 £1,030 to £1,360 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She was very caring, kind and patient to all his needs, she built up a wondetful rapport with him, she was dedicated and was there for him through good times as well as through the tough times”
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.