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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Hatfield House

Goodpublished 20 August 2022, 4 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, and inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Some medicine recording and storage issues were found, but the manager took swift action to resolve them.
Effective?
Good
People's needs were assessed and kept under review. Staff were trained and supported, people were offered suitable food and drink, and staff worked with healthcare professionals.
Caring?
Good
Inspectors found staff were kind, respectful and considerate. People were involved in decisions, were not rushed and had their privacy and dignity respected.
Responsive?
Good
Care plans were personalised and activities reflected people's interests. People felt able to raise concerns and felt listened to.
Well-led?
Good
The management team understood its responsibilities and used audits, meetings and feedback to improve the home. Inspectors found the service was consistently managed and well-led.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, August 2022

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care, with some medicines and equipment records needing prompt correction.

This was an unannounced inspection on 1 August 2022. Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience spoke with 12 people and nine staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and quality checks.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, had enough staff, received their medicines as prescribed and had care plans that reflected their needs.

There were some minor problems. Medicine packaging was not always dated, one controlled medicine record was not double-signed, and thickener was stored in an unlocked kitchen unit. Some damaged or rusty equipment was also found, but the manager dealt with these issues immediately or swiftly.

What inspectors praised
  • Enough staff

    Inspectors found there were enough staff to meet people's needs in a timely way. Staff said that although the home could be busy, they could still meet people's needs.

    “Through our observations and talking with people and staff, we found there were enough staff available to meet people's needs in a timely way.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff gave people time, offered choices and protected their privacy.

    “Staff were kind, respectful and considerate.” from the report
  • Personalised support

    Care plans recorded people's needs and preferences. Activities included one-to-one and group support, with choices such as reading, gardening and spending time outdoors.

    “Care plans were person centred and recorded people's needs and preferences.” from the report
  • Listening and improvement

    The provider collected feedback from people, relatives and staff and used it to make changes. A requested library was being developed during the inspection.

    “Following a recent survey, people had requested a small lounge be converted into a library.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Medicine records and storage

    needs fixing

    Some medicine packaging did not show when it had been opened. One controlled medicine was not double-signed on the medicines record, and thickener was found in an unlocked kitchen unit. The manager took swift action to correct these issues.

    “However, some medicine packaging did not have dates of opening and one control drug was not double signed for on the medication administration record (MAR), but there were two signatures in the controlled drug record book.” from the report
  • Minor repairs

    minor

    Inspectors found damaged shelf edging, a rusty microwave and a broken pedal bin. These issues were immediately resolved by the manager.

    “During our inspection we noted some shelve edging needed repair, a microwave had started to rust and a peddle bin was broken.” from the report
  • Care plan detail

    needs fixing

    One care plan did not say which hoist sling loops should be used, although staff knew what to do. The manager arranged for the documentation to be reviewed and updated.

    “One person's care plan we viewed did not have loop configuration for the hoist sling, although staff were knowledgeable about which loops to use.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now check that medicine packaging has its opening date recorded?
  2. 02How do you make sure controlled medicines are double-signed on the medication administration record?
  3. 03How is thickener stored now, and how do you prevent it being left in an unlocked area?
  4. 04Has the care plan with the missing hoist sling loop information been updated?
  5. 05What progress has been made with the library requested by people living in the home?

This was the first inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, February 2022

Inspected but not rated; infection control was mostly reassuring, but visiting arrangements did not always follow guidance.

This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 24 January 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures.

Inspectors were assured about testing, personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, cleaning, social distancing and managing COVID-19 outbreaks. The home was clean, and staff and residents took part in the testing programme.

There was one problem with visiting. Relatives providing companionship had not been given essential caregiver status because the guidance had been misunderstood. The home changed its visiting practices after the inspection.

The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report is not a new overall judgement about the quality of care, and it does not provide ratings for the other four areas.

What inspectors praised
  • Infection control

    Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.

    “We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
  • Testing and outbreak response

    Staff and residents took part in the testing programme, and action was taken quickly when someone tested positive.

    “Actions were swiftly taken when anyone tested positive with COVID-19.” from the report
  • Clean environment

    The home was clean and high-touch areas were included in regular cleaning schedules.

    “The home was clean and there were no malodours.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Visiting arrangements

    needs fixing

    Relatives providing companionship were not given essential caregiver status, so visits were not always facilitated in line with current guidance. The home changed its visiting practices after the inspection.

    “The provider was not always facilitating visits for people living in the home in accordance with the current guidance.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are visits arranged now for relatives who provide companionship or essential support?
  2. 02What essential caregiver arrangements are available for my relative?
  3. 03How would you manage visits if there were a COVID-19 case or outbreak?
  4. 04What measures are currently in place to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures?

This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 February 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Hatfield House

5 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. August 2022Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Hatfield House →

  2. February 2022Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Hatfield House →

  3. May 2021Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated
  4. November 2018Goodup from Inadequate
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
  5. May 2018Inadequatedown from Good
    Safe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
  6. May 2017Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  7. June 2015Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  8. May 2021

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 May 2021.

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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