CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Cossins House Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Staff understood safeguarding, risks were assessed and managed, medicines were audited, and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Infection prevention and control arrangements were also found to be effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received care from trained staff and were supported with food, drink and healthcare. Care was provided in line with relevant guidance and the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to express their views and retain as much independence as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and life histories. There was a varied activities programme, accessible information and a clear complaints process.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had effective audits, meetings and management oversight. Staff, families and professionals described communication and leadership positively.
What inspectors found, May 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with limited dementia signage and mixed views about food.
This was an unannounced first inspection of the home under its current registration. Inspectors visited on 12 April 2022, spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, and reviewed care, recruitment and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, effective infection control, suitable care planning and kind interactions.
People were supported to make choices, stay healthy and take part in activities suited to their interests. The home was clean and well managed. Inspectors noted little dementia signage around the home, and one person said the food was not great, although most people enjoyed the meals.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, with call bells answered promptly. Recruitment checks were also completed safely.
“There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind care
Staff were attentive and respectful. Inspectors saw calm, caring interactions and people described a friendly atmosphere.
“We observed kind and caring interactions between staff and people.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, life histories and interests. People and relatives were involved in planning and reviewing care.
“Care plans were individualised and person-centred. They contained information about people's needs and preferences about their care, their life histories and interests.” from the report
Activities
The home offered activities based on people's interests, including gardening, baking, arts and crafts, quizzes and exercise. Staff supported people to join in while respecting their choices.
“There was a full and varied programme of activities which was based on people's individual needs and interests.” from the report
Management oversight
Inspectors found regular audits, meetings and action plans to monitor quality and safety. Staff and families spoke positively about communication and leadership.
“Governance processes were effective and helped to hold staff to account, keep people safe, protect people's rights and provide good quality care and support.” from the report
Dementia signage
minorThere was little signage to help people living with dementia find their way around. One person needed regular guidance to find a bathroom, and the manager said this would be addressed.
“However, we noted there was little in the way of signage around the home to support those living with dementia to locate their whereabouts in the home.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to signage and bathroom identification for people living with dementia?
- 02How do you respond when someone does not enjoy the food, and how are menu suggestions used?
- 03How do you use your staffing tool to adjust staffing when people's needs increase?
- 04How will you involve us in reviewing our relative's personalised care plan?
- 05How are people's end of life wishes kept up to date and shared with staff and families?
This was an unannounced first inspection of all five key questions, including care and the premises, with particular attention to infection prevention and control because of COVID-19. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 May 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
Cossins House Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection control arrangements were safe.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 24 February 2021. It focused on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic. There were 16 people living in the home, which could accommodate up to 24 people.
Inspectors found the home clean and well maintained. Staff used personal protective equipment correctly, completed regular testing and followed infection control procedures. Visitors were screened and relatives could use a visiting pod to see family members safely.
The home was inspected but not rated. Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, but this report does not give an overall rating or ratings for the other areas of care.
Clean environment
The home had extra cleaning schedules, with high-touch areas cleaned throughout the day. Hand sanitiser was available around the home.
“The premises were clean and well maintained. Additional cleaning schedules had been introduced since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.” from the report
PPE and testing
Staff had access to PPE and followed infection control procedures. Staff and residents were supported with regular testing.
“Staff temperatures were recorded daily, they took two lateral flow tests and one PCR test per week.” from the report
Family contact
The home supported contact between residents and their families in line with government guidance. A visiting pod was available.
“There was a visiting pod where relatives could see their family member in a COVID safe way.” from the report
Visible leadership
The registered manager worked alongside care staff during staff shortages and led the infection prevention work.
“The registered manager was available to people and staff and they worked alongside care staff to support people during times of staff shortage.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are residents and staff tested for infections now?
- 02How do you manage visits, and is the visiting pod or another safe visiting arrangement still available?
- 03What happens if a resident or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?
- 04How do you make sure staff continue to follow infection prevention and control procedures?
- 05How are staffing shortages covered so that infection control and care are maintained?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the service was inspected but not rated and the report does not give ratings for other areas. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 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 Cossins House Care Home
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 April 2020.
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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