CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Heathercliffe Residential Care home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control arrangements, including safe visiting, cleaning and PPE.
Inspectors visited the home on 24 March 2021. This was an announced, targeted inspection during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on infection prevention and control.
They found safe arrangements for visitors, including private visits. People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends online. The home was clean, staff used PPE, and testing and infection-control policies were in place.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a full overall judgement or ratings across all five areas of care.
Safe visiting
The home had a clear process for accepting visitors safely and arranged visits so people could meet privately.
“There was a robust process for accepting visitors into the service safely to protect themselves and people who used the service.” from the report
Clean environment and PPE
Inspectors found the home clean and hygienic. Staff wore masks, gloves and aprons to reduce the risk of infection spreading.
“The service was clean and hygienic with cleaning schedules being adapted to ensure that these standards were maintained.” from the report
Keeping in touch
People were supported to maintain contact with family and friends through online communication.
“Service users had been supported in maintaining remote contact with their families and friends using online communication methods.” from the report
Daily routines
People could maintain their usual daily routines, and inspectors described the atmosphere as relaxed and homely.
“People who used the service were able to maintain their own daily routines and the atmosphere was relaxed and homely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently accepted and checked before entering the home?
- 02How are visits arranged so that people can see family privately?
- 03How often are cleaning schedules reviewed and adapted?
- 04How are people and staff tested for infections?
- 05How will you support my relative to keep in touch with family if in-person visits are restricted?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the home was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 April 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, November 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, but records about consent were not always detailed enough.
Inspectors visited the home unannounced on 8 and 9 October 2018. They spoke with seven people living there, one relative and several staff. They examined care records, recruitment and training files, medicines, safety checks, audits and feedback.
They found that people were safe and well cared for. Staff knew people well, treated them kindly and supported their choices, independence, health and activities. Medicines, staffing, recruitment, the building and infection control were managed well.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The overall Good rating stayed the same as at the previous inspection in March 2016. The home was asked to improve the records showing how it supported consent and capacity decisions.
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw warm relationships between staff and residents. People said staff treated them kindly and supported them to remain independent.
“We saw that warm, positive relationships with people were apparent and many people described the staff as "like family.” from the report
Safe medicines and recruitment
Medicines were stored and administered safely. Recruitment checks were completed before new staff started work.
“We saw that this had been done safely and all of the required checks had been completed prior to new staff commencing work in the home.” from the report
Personal care planning
Care plans included people's routines, preferences, communication methods and health needs. They were reviewed and updated.
“The care plan files we looked at were person-centred, very detailed and informative, regularly reviewed and reflected the needs of the people living at the home.” from the report
Good oversight
Managers observed staff, reviewed audits and looked for patterns in accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns.
“We looked at a number of quality assurance processes in the home and saw that these were managed well.” from the report
Consent records
needs fixingThe home understood consent and capacity requirements, but inspectors asked it to improve the records showing how decisions were made. This included a person receiving medicine hidden in food.
“We asked the home to improve the records relating to the person's ability to consent to this.” from the report
Decision-making records
needs fixingInspectors suggested clearer recording of decisions about people's ability to consent to specific decisions. This was a recording shortfall rather than a finding that people were not supported in practice.
“We spoke with the registered manager and deputy manager and suggested that they improve the recording mechanisms of decision making in relation to people's ability to consent to specific decisions.” from the report
- 01How have you improved the records showing people's consent and capacity decisions since this inspection?
- 02How do you record and review consent when a person's medicine is hidden in food?
- 03How will you make sure care plans continue to reflect my relative's routines, preferences and health needs?
- 04What activities would be available for my relative, and how would you check whether they enjoy them?
- 05How would relatives be involved in reviewing or changing my relative's care?
This was an unannounced inspection covering the overall service and all five questions, including the premises and care provided; the report used a shorter format because the overall rating had not changed. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 November 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 Heathercliffe Residential Care home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Heathercliffe Residential Care home →
- November 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Heathercliffe Residential Care home →
- April 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
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 14 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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84 live-in carers within about an hour of Cheshire West and Chester
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 76 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“She is an exemplary carer, she is knowledgable empathetic and very respectful in the home.”
“It was clear that she genuinely cared and her warm approach really helped put our minds at ease.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.