CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Garden City Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found good arrangements in several areas, including PPE, admissions, hygiene and vaccination. They found weaknesses in outbreak testing, social distancing, staff clothing storage and the plan for manager absences.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not covered by this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control overall, but identified delays and weaknesses during the continuing COVID-19 outbreak.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on infection prevention and control during a COVID-19 outbreak. Inspectors also asked about staffing pressures and reviewed further documents after their visit.
They were assured about visitors, admissions, use of protective equipment, cleanliness, the infection control policy and staff vaccination. Staff had COVID-19 training, and risks to people and staff had been assessed.
Inspectors were only somewhat assured about testing, social distancing and managing the outbreak. Whole-home testing was late, some communal areas were too crowded, staff clothing arrangements increased contamination risks, and the home had been in a continuing outbreak since November 2021.
The home was inspected but not rated. The provider took action on the issues inspectors identified.
Visitor precautions
Visitors were required to use protective equipment, take COVID-19 tests and confirm their vaccination status.
“Visitors wore personal protective equipment (PPE) undertook testing for COVID-19 and verified their COVID-19 vaccination status.” from the report
Risk assessments
The home had assessed health, safety and wellbeing risks for people and staff, with support available for staff.
“Risks to people and staff in relation to their health, safety and wellbeing had been assessed.” from the report
Staff training
Staff had COVID-19 training so they could put infection control measures in place when people had symptoms or tested positive.
“Staff received training in relation to COVID-19 to enable them to immediately instigate full infection control measures when people tested positive or showed symptoms.” from the report
Vaccination arrangements
The report says all staff were vaccinated or had declared a medical exemption, and the provider had checked the evidence.
“All staff working at the service had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or had declared themselves medically exempt.” from the report
Late outbreak testing
needs fixingWhole-home COVID-19 testing during the outbreak was not completed within the required timescales. The provider took action to address this.
“However, testing, known as 'whole home testing' conducted during an outbreak, was not being completed within the required timescales.” from the report
Crowded communal areas
needs fixingPeople were seen sitting close together, and communal and dining areas were not arranged to support social distancing. The provider took action.
“People were seen to be sat in communal areas within close proximity of each other increasing the risks of transmission.” from the report
Staff clothing storage
needs fixingStaff rooms were cluttered, and outdoor clothing was placed over worn uniforms. This increased the risk of clothing contamination.
“Staff rooms were cluttered with worn uniforms hung on coat racks with staff outdoor wear hung over them.” from the report
Continuing outbreak
needs fixingThe home had been in a continuous outbreak since November 2021. Before the inspection, the provider had not supported the registered manager to identify possible causes.
“In addition, the service had been in consistent outbreak since November 2021.” from the report
Business continuity plan
needs fixingThe plan for staffing pressures did not cover the absence of the registered and deputy managers. The provider took action to address this.
“However, the business continuity plan did not address the absence of the registered and deputy manager.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to ensure whole-home testing is completed within the required timescales during an outbreak?
- 02How are dining rooms and communal areas now arranged to reduce the risk of infection transmission?
- 03How are staff uniforms and outdoor clothing stored and kept separate?
- 04What were the causes of the continuing outbreak since November 2021, and what action was taken?
- 05How does the business continuity plan cover the absence of the registered and deputy managers?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about staffing pressures; the other four quality areas were not inspected or rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 March 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, May 2021
Garden City Court was rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and well cared for, with some infection control and reporting issues to address.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 13 May 2021. Inspectors looked only at whether the home was safe and well-led, after concerns had been raised and improvements were required following the previous inspection.
People and relatives said they felt safe and were well cared for. Inspectors found suitable staffing, individual risk assessments, safe medicines systems, trained staff and checks on accidents, incidents and infection risks. They also found kind relationships and that people's needs appeared to be met.
The home had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection, published on 26 September 2019, to Good for Safe and Well-led. The other three areas were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings were used in the overall Good rating.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found medicines were stored securely, records matched the medicines held, audits were completed and staff had received training.
“We checked a random sample of medicines and found that numbers held were accurate to records held.” from the report
Suitable staffing and support
Staffing levels were considered suitable, call bells were answered promptly and staff said they had the training and support needed for their roles.
“We observed that call bells and requests for assistance were answered swiftly.” from the report
Improved management systems
The home had acted on concerns from the previous inspection. Its audits and improvement plan helped track actions and reduce the risk of problems happening again.
“The findings were captured and added into an action plan. We saw that actions were signed off when completed.” from the report
Some infection control lapses
needs fixingA visitor's temperature was not taken on arrival. One staff member wore a mask below the nose and another had removed their mask in a corridor while on a break.
“However, on arrival the staff letting us into the home did not take our temperature.” from the report
Housekeeping support
minorInspectors said housekeeping staff would benefit from further support. The management team provided a supervision record after the inspection.
“However, we discussed with the management team that further support for housekeeping staff would be beneficial.” from the report
- 01What checks are now in place to make sure every visitor's temperature is recorded when required?
- 02How do you ensure staff wear and remove masks correctly in all areas of the home?
- 03What extra support has been given to housekeeping staff, and how do you check that standards are being maintained?
- 04How do you make sure every incident that must be reported is notified to the CQC and local authority?
- 05What progress has been made on the home improvement plan since this inspection?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings carried over into the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 May 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 Garden City Court
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2021GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- September 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 October 2015.
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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