CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Heatherwood Care Centre
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, suitable risk assessments, safe premises and equipment, good infection control, and appropriate medicines storage and administration, although one recording error needed attention.
- Effective?
- Good
- No rating was given for Effective in this inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- No rating was given for Caring in this inspection. Inspectors did observe staff providing person-centred care and engaging well with people.
- Responsive?
- Good
- No rating was given for Responsive in this inspection. Inspectors found that care was tailored to people's needs and preferences.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was consistently managed and had good oversight. People, relatives and staff could give feedback, and the management team used checks and reviews to improve the service.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Heatherwood Care Centre is rated Good; inspectors found safe, person-centred care and good management, with a medicines recording error identified.
One inspector made an unannounced visit on 10 March 2023. They spoke with people, a relative and staff, observed care, and checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable safety checks, good infection control, safe recruitment processes and systems for learning from incidents.
The home was described as person-centred and well managed. People had choices about food and daily activities, staff were well supported, and the environment had been adapted for people living with dementia.
Inspectors found one medicines recording problem. Staff had not signed the electronic record for creams for five days, although the home said the creams had been applied and improved its system after the inspection.
Enough staff
Inspectors found there were enough staff to support people. Agency staff used to fill vacancies knew the home well.
“There were enough staff to support people and the provider used agency staff who knew the service well to fill vacancies while recruitment was ongoing.” from the report
Good safety systems
Risks to people were assessed and managed. The home also carried out checks on its premises, equipment and emergency arrangements.
“Individual risks to people, such as those relating to mobility or healthcare needs, were assessed and managed well with clear guidance accessible for staff to follow.” from the report
Clean and hygienic
The home was clean, tidy and hygienic. Inspectors found good kitchen hygiene and effective infection prevention arrangements.
“The premises were clean, tidy and hygienic and staff followed current infection control and hygiene practice to reduce the risk of infections.” from the report
Person-centred choices
People could choose their meals and how they spent their day. Activities were based on people's preferences, and the environment had been adapted for people living with dementia.
“At lunchtime we saw people were provided with meals of their choice when they did not want the options on the menu and people could choose how they spent their day.” from the report
Good management
The registered manager and quality lead had regular checks and reviews. Feedback from people, visitors and staff was investigated and used to make improvements.
“The registered manager and quality lead used governance systems to monitor and review the safety and quality of the service and took action when needed to address any gaps or shortfalls at the service.” from the report
Medicines records
needs fixingStaff had not signed the electronic record for prescribed creams for five days. The home said the creams had been applied and told inspectors that its system had been improved.
“However, this system required review as staff had not signed the electronic record for five days from the start of the new medicines cycle.” from the report
Employment gaps not recorded
minorThe manager knew the reasons for gaps in some employment histories, but those reasons were not always written down. The provider said this would be recorded in future.
“The provider checked any gaps in employment histories and the registered manager knew the reasons for any gaps we identified, but these were not always recorded.” from the report
- 01What changes were made to medicines recording after the five-day gap in electronic records?
- 02How do you now check that prescribed creams are recorded correctly every day?
- 03How long will the redecoration programme take, and when will admissions resume?
- 04As the home now provides residential care only, how will you meet my relative's health and care needs?
- 05How are people's feedback and relatives' concerns recorded and followed up?
This inspection gave ratings for Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not rated in the report. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 March 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, January 2018
Heatherwood Care Centre is Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care across all five areas.
Inspectors visited the home without warning on 20 October 2017. They spoke with five people living there, two relatives and staff. They also checked care records, medicines records, staff files and management records, and observed care at lunchtime.
The home was rated Good overall and was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found clean and well-maintained surroundings, enough trained staff, safe medicines procedures and care that was tailored to people's needs.
People told inspectors they felt safe and were happy with the care. Staff knew people well, respected their choices and supported their independence, health, meals, activities and contact with relatives and friends.
The home was also rated Good at the previous inspection in June 2015. This inspection found that it remained Good.
Clean and maintained
Inspectors found the home clean, tidy and well maintained, including people's bedrooms. They also found effective infection control arrangements.
“All areas of the home including people's bedrooms were clean, tidy, nicely decorated and well maintained.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
There were enough staff to meet people's needs, with appropriate recruitment checks. Inspectors found medicines were stored, given and recorded safely.
“People were supported by a sufficient number of staff who had the right mix of skills and experience to help keep them safe and meet their personal care and social needs.” from the report
Kind and consistent care
People were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well. Staff respected privacy, dignity, choices and independence.
“People received continuity of care because they were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, abilities and life histories. Staff responded to changes and requests, including when someone became unwell or wanted different food.
“People's care plans were personalised. They took account of people's specific needs, abilities, preferences and life histories.” from the report
Good management
The provider and registered manager were approachable and used audits, feedback and action plans to monitor the service and identify improvements.
“The service continued to be well-organised and managed which meant that people felt safe and received consistently good care from a skilled team of staff.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you update my relative's care plan and risk assessments if their needs change?
- 02How do you make sure there are enough staff with the right skills on every shift?
- 03How will you support my relative to choose activities, spend time privately and keep in contact with family and friends?
- 04How will you record and respond if my relative becomes unwell or uncomfortable?
- 05How will you discuss and record my relative's wishes about end of life care?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the service, covering all five CQC questions and checking whether legal requirements were being met. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 January 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 Heatherwood Care Centre
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 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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