CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Court House Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, April 2023
Court House Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with some records needing improvement.
This was an announced focused inspection on 22 March 2023. Inspectors looked at whether people were safe and whether the home was well-led. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and a health professional, observed care, and checked care and medicine records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable risk checks, safe medicines support and good infection control. People appeared relaxed and staff treated them kindly.
Some recording systems needed attention. Best-interest decisions were not always formally recorded, weights were not always recorded accurately, and response times were not recorded. The new electronic medicines system was being monitored closely, but some as-needed medicine information had not yet been added to it.
The overall rating remained Good. This was because the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection rather than assessed during this visit.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe and had not been treated unkindly. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
“People were protected from the risk of abuse.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. The provider had recruited above the assessed staffing level and had not used agency staff for several years.
“There were enough staff to support people's needs.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Staff were trained and assessed as competent. Inspectors saw staff supporting people with medicines calmly and kindly, while managers closely monitored the new system.
“Staff were observed taking time supporting people with their medicines, in a kind and calm way.” from the report
Positive leadership
The management team was visible and approachable. The culture was described as person-centred, open, friendly and inclusive.
“The home's culture was person-centred, open, friendly and inclusive.” from the report
Learning and improvement
The home used audits and incident reviews to identify problems and take action. It also worked with health and social care professionals.
“There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor both the care and safety of people in the home.” from the report
Some weights were not recorded accurately
needs fixingInspectors noted that staff were still working on making sure people's weights were recorded accurately. This matters because weight changes can be part of monitoring people's health.
“The management team were working with staff around ensuring they accurately recorded people's weights.” from the report
Response times were not recorded
needs fixingSome people said staff response times varied at different times of day. Managers said they monitored this but did not record their findings, and introduced a more robust monitoring process after the inspection.
“The registered manager said they monitored response times but did not record their findings.” from the report
Some decisions were not formally recorded
needs fixingInspectors found that appropriate best-interest decisions had been made, but they were not always formally recorded.
“Although they had made appropriate best interest decisions these had not always been formally recorded.” from the report
As-needed medicine information was being transferred
minorSome people had paper instructions for as-needed medicines. The home said these instructions would be added to the new electronic medicines system.
“The registered manager told us these would be added to the computerised system.” from the report
- 01How are people's weights recorded now, and how do you check that the records are accurate?
- 02How do you monitor and record staff response times at different times of day?
- 03Are all best-interest decisions now formally recorded in people's care records?
- 04Have all as-needed medicine instructions been added to the electronic medicines system?
- 05What ratings from the previous inspection apply to Effective, Caring and Responsive?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 April 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, December 2019
Court House Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some training, redecoration and signage work still in progress.
This was an unannounced inspection on 28 and 29 October 2019. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff, the owners and health professionals. They observed care and mealtimes, and checked care plans, medicines, staff recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, kind care, personalised support, activities, good access to healthcare and clear leadership.
The report also records some work still under way. The provider was completing mandatory staff training and refreshers. Some areas needed redecoration, and signage around the home was limited. Water temperatures had exceeded recommended levels in some checks, but action was taken during the inspection.
Kind and respectful care
Staff were attentive and compassionate. Inspectors saw a calm and welcoming atmosphere where people appeared to feel at home.
“Staff were attentive, caring and they engaged with people with kindness and compassion and were sensitive and reassuring in their manner.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's histories, likes, dislikes and support needs. Staff knew people well and involved families in reviews where appropriate.
“People were provided with personalised care which was centred around them as individuals.” from the report
Activities and social life
People could take part in activities, entertainment, trips, religious services and visits from community groups.
“People undertook monthly trips to local places of interest in a community minibus.” from the report
Safe medicines arrangements
Medicines were received, stored and disposed of safely. Staff administering medicines had the required training.
“There were suitable arrangements for receiving, storing and disposal of medicines, including medicines requiring extra security.” from the report
Leadership and monitoring
The management team had clear responsibilities and used audits to monitor quality and safety. The report says identified improvements had been addressed.
“Arrangements were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.” from the report
Training still being completed
needs fixingThe provider had changed training provider and was still working to complete mandatory training and refreshers for staff.
“The provider was working to ensure staff received the appropriate training. They had recently changed training provider and was working with staff to complete all of the mandatory training and refreshers where required.” from the report
Some areas needed redecoration
minorThe home was clean, but inspectors found some areas looked tired and needed redecoration.
“The home was clean and tidy with some areas of the home a little tired and in need of redecoration.” from the report
Limited signage
minorThere was very little signage to help people find their way around the home. The provider said this would be reviewed.
“We discussed with the provider that there was very little signage to guide people around the home.” from the report
Water temperatures
needs fixingSome water temperatures had exceeded recommended health and safety levels. Action was taken during the inspection to make them safe.
“Where water temperatures had exceeded the health and safety recommended temperatures action had been taken during the inspection to make these safe.” from the report
- 01Has all mandatory staff training and refresher training now been completed?
- 02Which areas of the home have been redecorated since the inspection, and what work remains?
- 03What changes have been made to signage to help people find their way around the home?
- 04How are water temperatures checked now, and how quickly are problems dealt with?
- 05Does my relative's care require nursing care, and what arrangements would be made if that need arose?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering the home, the care provided and all five key questions; the newly completed bedrooms and café were not in use and were awaiting registration. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 December 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.
Every inspection of Court House Residential Home
5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Court House Residential Home →
- December 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Court House Residential Home →
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 September 2014.
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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