CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Garsewednack Residential Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, October 2021
Garsewednack Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with some staffing, training and record-keeping pressures.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 3 September 2021. Inspectors checked Safe, Effective and Well-led after receiving concerns about admissions and hydration and nutrition. They spoke with people, staff, the manager, the provider and relatives, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment, training and management records.
The home was rated Good in all three areas inspected. People were described as safe, well cared for and supported to stay independent. Medicines were given safely, risks were managed, food and drinks met people's needs, and staff worked with health professionals.
There were staff vacancies, and some training updates and records had fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic. The home had identified these issues and had plans for extra training and improvements to record keeping. The overall rating stayed Good, but Caring and Responsive were not inspected at this visit and their previous ratings were carried forward.
Kind and respectful care
Staff were described as kind and compassionate. Inspectors saw people being treated with dignity and supported to remain independent.
“Staff and the registered manager were kind, caring and compassionate.” from the report
Safe medicines
People received their medicines safely, on time and as prescribed. Records were complete and medicines were audited.
“People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.” from the report
Good food and hydration support
People were positive about the food. Staff understood dietary preferences and support needs, and drinks were offered regularly.
“Hot and cold drinks were served regularly throughout the day to prevent dehydration.” from the report
Responsive health support
The home made appropriate and timely referrals when people's health needs changed. Staff monitored specific needs such as weight, skin condition and food and fluid intake.
“The service worked effectively and collaboratively with health professionals and records showed appropriate and timely referrals had been made where changes in people's needs were identified.” from the report
Strong safeguarding
The home had safeguarding procedures and systems to protect people from abuse and financial harm. Staff understood how to raise concerns.
“The provider's safeguarding procedures were robust and effective.” from the report
Staff vacancies
needs fixingThere were staff vacancies. Planned staffing levels were maintained through extra shifts and occasional care from the manager while recruitment continued.
“Although the service had a small number of staff vacancies, records showed planned staffing levels within the service had been consistently achieved.” from the report
Training updates delayed
needs fixingSome staff training updates had fallen behind because face-to-face external training was difficult to access during the pandemic. Additional training had been arranged.
“Some training updates had fallen behind as the service had been unable to access face to face external training during the COVID Pandemic.” from the report
Record keeping improvements needed
needs fixingStaffing pressures had affected the quality of some records. The provider had allocated responsibility for correcting this and planned additional training.
“Quality assurance systems had identified that staffing pressures and restrictions associated with the Covid- 19 pandemic had impacted on training updates and the quality of some record keeping.” from the report
Incident records to be improved
minorAccidents and incidents were reviewed, but the provider decided to change how they were recorded so patterns and growing risks could be identified more quickly.
“Following feedback at the end of the inspection, the provider decided to make changes to how this information was recorded” from the report
- 01How many staff vacancies are there now, and how often are extra shifts or manager cover needed?
- 02Which staff training updates were delayed, and have all the planned updates now been completed?
- 03What changes have been made to care records and incident records since the inspection?
- 04How do you check that people's food and fluid intake is sufficient, especially where there is a risk of dehydration?
- 05What were the previous ratings for Caring and Responsive, which were not checked during this inspection?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 October 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.
What inspectors found, February 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were in place.
The inspection took place on 22 January 2021 and was announced. It was a targeted inspection during the coronavirus pandemic, looking at infection prevention and control.
Inspectors found the home was clean, with cleaning schedules completed and extra domestic staff hours. They were assured that the home was using PPE safely, supporting social distancing, arranging testing and managing visitors.
The home supported residents to keep in touch with relatives by video when visiting was severely restricted. New residents needed a negative COVID-19 test and had to self-isolate on arrival.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide ratings for the other areas of care.
Clean premises
Inspectors found the premises clean. Extra domestic staff hours and completed cleaning schedules were used to maintain standards.
“The premises appeared clean throughout. Domestic staff hours had been increased to help ensure cleanliness standards were maintained throughout the day.” from the report
Infection control measures
The home had an infection control policy and COVID-19 risk assessment. Staff had completed relevant training and inspectors were assured that PPE and testing were being used safely.
“An infection control policy and Covid -19 risk assessment contained clear guidance for staff on the actions to take to minimise the risk of cross infection.” from the report
Safe admissions
The manager considered people's needs before admission. New residents needed a negative COVID-19 test and had to self-isolate separately from other residents.
“New residents were required to have evidence of a negative Covid -19 test result and had to agree to self isolate for a period on arrival.” from the report
Keeping families in touch
Although visiting was extremely restricted during lockdown, staff helped residents use video technology to contact relatives.
“Staff supported people to use video technology to keep in touch with relatives.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The home had considered how to respond to an outbreak, including dividing areas and using dedicated staff.
“This included zoning areas and identifying dedicated staff to support people who had contracted the infection.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now, and when were they last reviewed?
- 02How are visiting arrangements managed now, including what happens if there is an infection risk?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested, and what happens after a positive result?
- 04How are new residents isolated and supported when they first arrive?
- 05What is the current plan for managing an outbreak, including staffing and separate areas?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the other care areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 February 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 Garsewednack Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2021Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Garsewednack Residential Home →
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Garsewednack Residential Home →
- April 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 April 2016.
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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10 live-in carers within about two hours of Cornwall
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Most charge £980 to £1,200 a week. 8 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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