CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Croft Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were assessed, there were enough suitably recruited staff, and medicines were stored and administered safely, although some balance discrepancies were found and investigated.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed and care plans guided staff. Staff were trained, dietary and health needs were supported, and the home worked with other professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices, maintain independence and have their privacy protected.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised to people's preferences, communication needs and interests. People could take part in activities, receive visitors, raise complaints and discuss end of life wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management. Quality checks, feedback systems, incident reviews and partnership working supported the running of the home.
What inspectors found, January 2020
Croft Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some medicine-balance discrepancies investigated.
This was an unannounced inspection on 16 December 2019. One inspector spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable care planning, kind treatment, support for personal choices and systems to check quality.
There was one medicine-record concern. Some medicine balance discrepancies were found, but these were investigated on the day and were found to be accounting errors. The manager described action to prevent this happening again.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and saw that people did not have to wait for care or support.
“People were supported by enough suitably recruited staff.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their dignity, privacy, independence and personal choices.
“People were supported by caring staff who understood how to meet their individual and diverse needs.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, communication needs, life history, health needs and interests.
“People were supported to have person centred care and support.” from the report
Quality checks
The provider used checks, feedback and incident reviews to monitor care and identify actions for improvement.
“Records showed the provider completed regular checks on the safety of the building, care records and medicines.” from the report
Medicine balance records
minorInspectors found some discrepancies when checking medicine balances. These were investigated on the day and were attributed to accounting errors, with action planned to prevent a repeat.
“We checked the balances and found some discrepancies, these were investigated on the day of the inspection and were found to be accounting errors.” from the report
- 01What changes were made after the medicine balance discrepancies found during the inspection?
- 02How are medicine balances and administration records checked now?
- 03How will you make sure a new resident's communication needs and personal preferences are understood by all staff?
- 04How are residents supported to continue their individual interests, activities and relationships?
- 05How are people's end of life wishes recorded and kept up to date?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the previous Good ratings remained unchanged. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 January 2020 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, July 2017
Croft Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with improvements since earlier inspections.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 June 2017. One inspector checked records, observed care in communal areas, and spoke with people living there, visitors and staff. The registered manager was not available that day.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found staff understood people's needs, supported medicines safely, respected privacy and dignity, and provided activities and healthcare support.
The report says the home had improved since the previous inspections. Earlier concerns included leadership, care records and monitoring of food and drink. At this inspection, monitoring records were completed after people had been supported, so they were more accurate.
Safe support
Staff understood people's risks and how to support them. Inspectors saw safe use of moving and handling equipment and found medicines were administered as prescribed.
“People were supported by staff that understood their responsibilities to keep them safe from harm.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff treated people with kindness and respected their privacy, dignity and independence. They also supported relationships with relatives and friends.
“We saw staff treated people with respect and in a kind and caring way.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were offered a range of activities, including outings, entertainment and one-to-one time. Their faith, friendships and personal interests were supported.
“This demonstrated that people were supported to access outside activities to support them in living a meaningful life.” from the report
Improved management and records
The report says the management structure had become stable. Food and drink records were completed at the right time, improving the accuracy of monitoring.
“We saw at this inspection that staff were completing records after support had been provided.” from the report
Staffing at busy times
needs fixingStaff said that an extra member of staff would help at certain times of day. The head of care said staffing would increase in the morning, so families should check that this change happened and remains in place.
“Staff spoken with told us there were certain times in the day when an additional staff member would benefit the staffing complement.” from the report
- 01Has the additional staff member for the busy morning period started, and how is staffing reviewed at other busy times?
- 02How do you make sure food and drink records are completed immediately after support is given?
- 03How are individual food preferences, including requests for more menu variety, recorded and followed?
- 04How are people and relatives involved in care reviews and decisions about activities?
- 05How are complaints recorded, investigated and followed up?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC key questions; the registered manager was not available on the inspection day. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 July 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 Croft Care Home
5 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016Goodup from Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 January 2011.
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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Staffordshire
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 £980 to £1,230 a week. 85 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“We particularly appreciate the companionship Dawn gives in the evenings when she plays cards and Scrabble with my mother.”
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