CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Chestnuts Retirement Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, October 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with well-led management improved from Requires Improvement.
This was an unannounced planned inspection over three visits. The inspector spoke with people, staff and relatives, observed care and activities, and checked care, medicines, recruitment, safety and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough skilled staff, safe medicines handling, suitable care planning, kind staff and activities that reflected people's interests.
The home had improved its management checks since the previous inspection. The previous Well-led rating was Requires Improvement because premises and equipment checks needed improvement. Inspectors found these improvements had been made.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were stored and disposed of safely, with accurate records. People received medicines as prescribed.
“People received they medicines on time and as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and treated them as individuals. Inspectors found that privacy, dignity and independence were respected.
“Staff were kind and respectful. We received positive feedback about their caring approach.” from the report
Personalised care planning
People were involved in their care plans, which considered both their immediate needs and their wider lives.
“People were involved in writing their care and support plans, which focussed on the person's whole life as well as their immediate needs.” from the report
Improved management checks
The home had acted on the previous inspection's concerns about checks on the premises and equipment. Inspectors found these improvements had been made.
“At this inspection we found the provider had made improvements.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and review my relative's care needs and preferences?
- 02How do you make sure medicines are given on time and records stay accurate?
- 03What staffing levels would be provided if my relative's needs changed?
- 04Which activities and social opportunities could match my relative's interests?
- 05How would you involve my relative and our family in decisions about care and end of life preferences?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided; the previous overall rating was Good, while the previous Well-led rating was Requires Improvement. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 October 2019 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, February 2017
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care, but the home was Requires Improvement for well-led because some accommodation defects were not fixed quickly.
This was an unannounced inspection on 2 February 2017. One inspector spoke with nine people living in the home, three relatives and staff. They observed care, checked four people's care records and reviewed staffing, training and quality records.
The inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements and suitable checks on new staff. People received help with meals, healthcare, decisions, personal care, activities and complaints. Staff were described as kind, respectful and supportive.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive were all rated Good. Well-led was rated Requires Improvement because some accommodation problems had not been dealt with quickly enough. Earlier breaches about medicines and quality checks had been corrected by this inspection.
Safe medicines
Medicines were ordered, stored, given and disposed of through reliable arrangements. Records showed people had received their prescribed medicines correctly during the week before the inspection.
“Records showed that during the week preceding our inspection each person had correctly received all of the medicines that had been prescribed for them.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with patience, kindness and respect. Staff supported privacy and dignity in bedrooms, bathrooms and when people contacted relatives.
“We saw that people were being treated with respect and in a caring and kind way.” from the report
Enough skilled staff
The inspectors found that staffing levels met people's needs. Staff had training, supervision and guidance, and responded promptly to call bells.
“We concluded that there were enough staff on duty because people were promptly offered all of the care they needed.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff asked people what care they wanted and recorded this in care plans. They used different ways to communicate with people who had dementia or special communication needs.
“We found that staff had consulted with each person about the care they wanted to receive and had recorded the results in an individual care plan.” from the report
Improvements since the last inspection
The earlier problems with medicines, nutrition, dementia support and quality checks had been addressed. The two previous legal requirements had been met.
“At the present inspection we found that the necessary improvements had been made and that the two legal requirements had been met.” from the report
Building defects not fixed quickly
needs fixingThe home still needed to improve its checks of the accommodation. Inspectors found a window safety issue, a room without a fresh atmosphere, a rusty toilet frame and a damaged bedroom lock.
“there were still a small number of defects in the accommodation that had not been quickly put right.” from the report
- 01Have the windows been checked so they cannot open too far, and how will you make sure this is monitored?
- 02Has the bedroom with a poor atmosphere been dealt with, and what was causing the problem?
- 03Has the rusty toilet frame been replaced or repaired?
- 04Has the damaged bedroom door lock been repaired?
- 05How often are accommodation checks now completed, and how are repairs followed up until they are finished?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including observations of communal care, four care records and records about staffing, training and quality assurance. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 February 2017 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 Chestnuts Retirement Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- October 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 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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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Lincolnshire
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.
8 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Martin was more than a carer, he managed the home and became my uncle's best friend, enriching his life during his last few years.”
“Magda was always positive and proactive about trying new things to keep dad busy. She also introduced new ideas for keeping dad healthy.”
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.