CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Graysford Hall
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, January 2023
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found people appeared safe from abuse, while a serious allegation was still being investigated.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 22 November 2022. It followed a serious allegation of abuse. The local authority safeguarding team was still investigating that specific allegation when inspectors visited.
Inspectors spoke with three people and five staff. They checked safeguarding policies, staff recruitment files and information about the allegation. They found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from this concern during the inspection.
People said they felt safe and could raise concerns. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. The home had safeguarding systems, staff training and recruitment checks in place.
The service remains rated Good from the previous full inspection, published in May 2021. This inspection was inspected but not rated, so it did not change the previous rating.
People felt safe
Everyone inspectors spoke with said they felt safe and believed concerns would be acted on.
“All people we spoke with told us that they felt safe.” from the report
Staff understood safeguarding
Staff knew how to spot abuse, report concerns within the home and use external whistleblowing routes if needed.
“All staff had good knowledge of how to spot signs of abuse.” from the report
Positive staff relationships
Inspectors saw staff offering choices and interacting warmly with people. Staff appeared to know people's likes and dislikes.
“We observed good interactions between people and staff.” from the report
Safe recruitment
Inspectors checked recruitment records and found the required background checks had been completed.
“Staff were safely recruited.” from the report
Serious allegation under investigation
needs fixingThe inspection was triggered by a serious allegation of abuse. The local authority safeguarding investigation was still ongoing at the time, although inspectors found no evidence during this visit that people were at risk of harm from the concern.
“We had been made aware of a serious allegation of abuse.” from the report
- 01What was the outcome of the serious safeguarding allegation mentioned in the report?
- 02What action was taken after the allegation, and has any action been completed?
- 03How are safeguarding concerns reported and escalated if staff believe the management team has not responded properly?
- 04When was the last full inspection, and what improvements have been made since the previous Good rating?
- 05How does the home check that all new staff have completed the required recruitment checks?
This was a targeted inspection of safeguarding and whether people were safe from abuse; it did not assess the whole Safe key question or the other four key questions, so the previous ratings carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 January 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, May 2021
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some planned improvements as the home grows.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection of this newly registered care home. Inspectors visited on 4 May 2021. They spoke with five people, three relatives and 11 staff, observed care and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff at the time, safe medicines systems, good infection control and detailed care plans. Staff knew people well and supported their choices, dignity, independence and relationships.
The report also notes that the home was still developing. The manager planned improvements to information about people's cultural and religious needs, dementia-friendly design, mental capacity records and end of life care. Some people and staff were also concerned about whether staffing would remain sufficient as more people moved in.
Safe care
Inspectors found that risks were assessed and reviewed, safeguarding systems were understood and there were enough staff to provide safe care at the time of the inspection.
“People were cared for safely. Risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly and as people's needs changed.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff were described as reliable, compassionate and respectful. Inspectors saw positive relationships and support for people's dignity and independence.
“People received support from reliable, compassionate staff.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, personal histories, dislikes and links with family. Staff knew people well and adapted care to them.
“People had personalised care plans in place which included information about their personal needs, choices and preferences.” from the report
Activities and inclusion
People helped choose activities and could join in as much or as little as they wished. The home supported religious needs and offered extra contact to people at risk of isolation.
“People were involved in choosing a range of activities and supported by a full time Wellbeing Lead.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The manager had daily checks and regular audits. Inspectors said these systems had become stronger and more established since the manager took up the post.
“There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and standards of the service.” from the report
Staffing as occupancy increases
minorSome people and staff were worried about whether staffing would keep pace as more people moved into the home. The manager said plans were in place to increase staffing in line with people's needs.
“Some people and staff were apprehensive about the impact of more people moving into the service, and whether there would be enough staff to maintain the current levels of care.” from the report
Diversity information in care plans
needs fixingInspectors said more detail about people's cultural and religious needs would be beneficial. The manager planned to improve this part of care planning.
“Further detail about people's diversity characteristics including religious and cultural needs would be beneficial.” from the report
Changes of manager
minorThere had been several manager changes since the home opened. The report says this caused some instability, although the current manager was well regarded.
“Since the service registered with CQC there had been several changes of manager.” from the report
Further development planned
minorThe home planned improvements to dementia-friendly design, mental capacity documentation and end of life care planning and training. No one was receiving end of life care during the inspection.
“The provider had already identified some further work was needed on MCA documentation to make it more decision specific, and this was going to be done.” from the report
- 01How will staffing numbers change as more people move into the home, and how will you check that staffing remains sufficient?
- 02What changes have been made to record people's cultural, religious and other diversity needs in their care plans?
- 03What progress has been made with making the first floor more suitable for people living with dementia?
- 04How are mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions being made more specific and clearly recorded?
- 05What is the plan for end of life care training and for helping residents and families discuss their wishes?
This was the first planned inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 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 Graysford Hall
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- January 2023Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2021GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 October 2019.
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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