CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Gildawood Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Inspectors found enough staff and safe recruitment, but medicines were not always managed safely. Records did not always show what immediate action had been taken in response to health risks, and some environmental issues did not support good infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and reviewed. Staff had suitable training, people could access healthcare, and food and drink were adapted for individual needs, although one lunchtime was chaotic because there were not enough chairs, plates or cups.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described staff as caring. Inspectors saw warm and thoughtful interactions, and staff supported privacy, dignity, choice and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans contained personal information and staff knew people's preferences and communication needs. Activities and relationships were supported, but inspectors found limited opportunities for meaningful activities at some times.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff were positive about the management. Audits had led to improvements, but had not always identified medicine shortfalls and gaps in recording action for high or low blood sugar readings.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, well-organised care, but safety checks for medicines and some health risks needed improvement.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 14 July 2022. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. People were described as safe, well cared for and treated with kindness. Staff understood people's needs, supported choice and independence, and there were enough staff.
Safety was rated Requires Improvement. Inspectors found problems with medicine records and with recording the immediate action taken after high or low blood sugar readings. Some environmental issues also affected infection control, although the manager had plans to address them.
The overall rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led were all rated Good, having previously been Requires Improvement.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives were happy with the care. Inspectors saw staff offering reassurance, physical comfort and thoughtful support.
“There was a relaxed atmosphere in the home where we saw many warm and thoughtful interactions between staff and people.” from the report
Enough suitable staff
Staffing levels were maintained and recruitment checks included references and DBS checks. People and relatives said staff were usually available.
“There were enough staff to keep people safe. Records showed assessed staffing levels had been maintained and this was reviewed regularly by the registered manager.” from the report
Good healthcare support
People could access healthcare when needed. The home used regular healthcare reviews, referrals to specialists and daily handovers to share important information.
“Referrals were made to specialists such as dieticians to improve people's health outcomes and ensure they received targeted support for identified health needs.” from the report
Medicine management
seriousThere were discrepancies in one person's medicine stock. For another person, staff did not record where a pain relief patch was applied or removed, and daily checks were not completed.
“Staff were not recording the site of application or removal which posed increased risk of skin irritation and a risk their medicine was not being absorbed at a safe level.” from the report
Response to health risks
seriousDiabetes risks were identified, but records did not always clearly show what immediate action staff had taken after high or low blood sugar readings.
“However, it was not always clear what immediate action had been taken in response to high or low readings to ensure people remained well.” from the report
Infection control environment
needs fixingSome parts of the environment did not support good infection control. Inspectors noted a damaged bathroom plug hole, stained and threadbare carpets, and a worn wheelchair cushion cover.
“However, during our visit we noticed a number of concerns which did not promote good infection control processes.” from the report
Limited activities at times
needs fixingThe home offered activities, but people did not always have enough meaningful things to do. The manager was recruiting for a second well-being co-ordinator.
“However, there were still times throughout the day where people were offered limited opportunities to engage in meaningful activities, and we received mixed feedback from people about the activities available.” from the report
Chaotic lunchtime
minorOn the inspection day, there were not enough chairs, plates or cups for everyone who wanted to eat in one dining room. The manager agreed to review mealtimes.
“On the day of our visit, 13 people wanted to eat their lunch in one of the dining rooms, but there were not enough chairs, plates or cups which created a chaotic atmosphere.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to check medicine stocks and the safe use of pain relief patches?
- 02How do you now record and act on high or low blood sugar readings?
- 03Have the damaged bathroom surface, stained carpets and worn wheelchair cushion cover been replaced or repaired?
- 04How many meaningful activities are offered each day, and has a second well-being co-ordinator been appointed?
- 05What was changed after the lunchtime review about the shortage of chairs, plates and cups?
This inspection covered all five key questions and included infection prevention and control checks; the overall rating and all five question ratings were updated. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 August 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
Gildawood Court was rated Requires Improvement; safe care had improved, but records, communication and management systems still needed work.
This was a focused inspection on 4 February 2021. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led. They visited the home, spoke with relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care plans, medicines records, audits and other documents.
The home was rated Good for Safe. Inspectors found better risk assessments, equipment to reduce falls, improved medicines checks and enough staff on the day of the visit. Infection control arrangements were largely reassuring, although one staff member was seen wearing personal protective equipment incorrectly.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for Well-led. Management and monitoring had improved, but care records were still being updated and important information was not always easy for staff to find. Relatives' views about communication were mixed. The overall rating remained Requires Improvement because improvements needed to be fully embedded and sustained.
Reducing falls
The home introduced electronic sensors for people at very high risk of falls. Inspectors found that falls had reduced without unnecessarily limiting people's independence.
“The use of electronic sensor equipment had reduced the number of falls within the service without unduly restricting people's freedom or independence.” from the report
Medicines management
Medicines management had improved through staff training, skills checks and increased monitoring.
“Improvements had been made to the management of medicines. This included training and assessment of staff's skills and increased checks to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured about most infection prevention arrangements, including testing, vaccination, cleaning and symptom checks.
“We were assured the provider had reviewed their infection prevention and control policy to ensure it reflected best practice.” from the report
Improved oversight
The management structure, audits and service improvement plan gave the home a clearer focus on making changes.
“At this visit, improved provider oversight through an improved management structure, provided a clear direction and focus to review and implement improvements.” from the report
Care records
needs fixingCare plans were still being updated. Important information was not always easy for staff to find, and this work had remained unfinished since the previous inspection.
“It was not always easy for staff to locate important information in care records and this was acknowledged as 'work in progress' by the management team.” from the report
Communication with relatives
needs fixingRelatives gave mixed feedback. Some felt supported to stay in touch, but others said visiting arrangements and communication were not handled well.
“However, other relatives gave us negative feedback and felt communication needed to be improved on.” from the report
Night staffing
needs fixingThere were enough staff on the day of the inspection, but most staff felt more staff were needed on shifts, particularly at night.
“However, most staff told us they felt more staff were needed on shifts.” from the report
PPE practice
minorOne staff member was seen wearing personal protective equipment incorrectly. Management acted after inspectors raised this.
“We observed one staff member whose PPE was not worn following guidance.” from the report
- 01How have you finished updating care plans, and how do you make sure staff can quickly find important information?
- 02How many staff are usually on duty at night, and how do you respond when people need two staff to support them?
- 03What is the current system for booking visits and keeping relatives informed?
- 04How do you check that improvements in medicines management and infection control remain consistent?
- 05What progress has been made with the service improvement plan and the restriction of two admissions each month?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other key questions were not inspected and previous ratings were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 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 Gildawood Court
4 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2016GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 July 2013.
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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