CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Harwood Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found enough staff, thorough recruitment checks, safe medicines systems and regularly reviewed risk assessments.
- Effective?
- Good
- People’s physical, mental and social needs were assessed and their care was provided appropriately. Staff had induction, training and supervision, and people were supported with nutrition, healthcare and legal consent arrangements.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open, positive and honest culture. The home had clear responsibilities, regular audits, up-to-date records and systems for learning from complaints and incidents.
What inspectors found, December 2023
Harwood Road rated Good; inspectors found safe, effective care and good leadership, but caring and responsive were not inspected.
This was an unannounced inspection visit on 6 November 2023. One inspector spoke with three people, three staff and three healthcare professionals. They also reviewed care, medicine, risk, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good overall, with Good ratings for Safe, Effective and Well-led. Inspectors found enough suitably recruited staff, safe medicines systems, regularly reviewed risks and effective support with health, food and drink.
People and healthcare professionals described the home positively. Inspectors found an open management culture, up-to-date records and regular checks on quality. The overall rating stayed Good from the previous inspection.
Caring and Responsive were not inspected during this visit. The previous ratings for these areas were used when calculating the overall rating.
People felt safe
People and their relatives said the home was safe, and inspectors observed a relaxed and positive atmosphere.
“People and their relatives said the home was a safe place to live and staff treated them with kindness and respect.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored, administered and checked safely. The records inspected had no errors or omissions.
“We found no recording errors or omissions on any medicines records we looked at.” from the report
Effective support
People’s physical, mental and social needs were assessed. Staff worked with health and social care professionals and supported people to attend appointments.
“People had their physical, mental, and social needs assessed, and their care, and support were delivered in line with legislation, standards, and evidence-based guidance” from the report
Good leadership
Inspectors found clear responsibilities, regular quality checks and a culture where people, relatives and staff could share their views.
“The home's culture was person-centred, open, inclusive, and empowering.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you make sure each person’s risk assessment is updated when their needs, interests or activities change?
- 02What training and supervision will the staff supporting my relative receive, and how do you check that their skills remain up to date?
- 03How will you support my relative to attend health appointments and keep in contact with mental health and other healthcare services?
- 04How do you involve people and relatives in decisions about care, activities, food and changes to the service?
- 05What were the previous ratings for Caring and Responsive, and when will these areas next be reviewed?
This was a 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 14 December 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, October 2018
Harwood Road is rated Good; inspectors found safe, respectful care and significant improvements since the previous inspection, although some premises issues remained.
This was a comprehensive inspection on 15 and 22 August 2018. The first day was unannounced. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, staff, the registered manager, a relative and a health professional. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, staff files, complaints, safety checks and audits, and looked around the building.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people had personalised care plans, enough suitably recruited staff, safe medicines support, access to health care and a range of activities. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.
The home had made significant improvements since the previous inspection. Problems with safety checks, premises, records, reporting events to CQC and quality monitoring had been addressed. The earlier breaches of regulations were met. Inspectors still found some minor premises and food storage issues, including a front door that was not locking properly when they arrived and a fire alarm fault that had been reported to the landlord.
Personalised support
People were involved in planning and reviewing their care. Plans included their strengths, aspirations, risks, preferences and guidance from health professionals.
“The detailed and personalised approach within the care and support plans demonstrated that staff understood the people they supported” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw positive relationships between people and staff. Staff respected privacy and supported people to make choices about their daily lives.
“People were treated in a kind and supportive manner by staff.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to take part in activities that matched their interests, including gardening, pub lunches, walks, cinema trips and cooking.
“The activities programme at the service supported people to take part in meaningful occupation” from the report
Improved management
The home had become better organised since the previous inspection. Audits and checks were being used to identify and address improvements.
“A considerable amount of work had been carried out to improve the service” from the report
Front door security
needs fixingThe front door did not shut properly and was not locked when inspectors arrived. The registered manager resolved this during the inspection.
“The front door did not shut properly behind people, which meant that when we arrived at the premises it was not locked.” from the report
Fire alarm fault
needs fixingThe fire alarm was showing a fault. Records showed this had been reported to the landlord, but the report does not confirm that the fault had been fixed during the inspection.
“The fire alarm was showing a fault and records demonstrated that this had been reported to the landlord, a local social housing association.” from the report
Food storage and mice
minorFood was left out in areas where mice had been seen. Extra breadbins and food containers were bought and used by the second inspection day.
“The butter was put away by noon, but the bread remained on display instead of being put away in an available breadbin.” from the report
- 01Has the fire alarm fault reported to the landlord now been fully repaired and tested?
- 02What checks are now made to ensure the front door shuts and locks properly?
- 03How do staff make sure food is stored safely and not left out where it could attract mice?
- 04How will my relative be involved in creating and reviewing their personalised care and support plan?
- 05What activities are available, and how are they matched to each person's interests and goals?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 October 2018 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 Harwood Road
5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- December 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 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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