CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Heathvale House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, suitable safeguarding systems, safe medicine management and appropriate infection control. One staff file lacked a full employment history, and medicine temperature checks needed improvement.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant training and supervision. People were supported with their mental and physical health, food and drink choices, healthcare appointments and decisions made under the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their routines, care, food and activities.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and kept up to date. People had activity programmes based on their interests, and the home had arrangements for communication needs and complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager understood their responsibilities and staff felt supported. Audits and feedback systems were in place, although some records were not available at the home during the inspection.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Heathvale House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with minor gaps in recruitment records and medicine temperature checks.
The inspection took place on 23 November 2021 and was announced. One inspector spoke with three people, two staff and the registered manager, and reviewed care, staff and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine support, suitable infection control, personalised care plans and kind relationships between people and staff.
There were a few areas to improve. One staff file did not contain a full employment history, some checks were not available at the home during the visit, and medicine temperature checks were due to be improved. The Good rating means the home was meeting the relevant standards and people were receiving consistently good care.
Kind and consistent staff
People were comfortable with staff who knew them well. Inspectors found that staff were kind, respectful, patient and not rushed.
“People received consistency of care from staff who knew them well.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's health needs, backgrounds, personalities, relationships and preferences. Activities were based on individual interests.
“People's care plans were personalised with details of their health needs, backgrounds, personalities, people who were important to them and how they preferred to receive their care.” from the report
Support for independence
People were supported to practise everyday living skills, including cooking, to help them live more independently if they wanted to.
“People were encouraged to develop their independent living skills so they could live independently in the future if they wanted to.” from the report
Safe infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE safely, supported testing, managed infection outbreaks and followed visiting arrangements.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Incomplete recruitment record
minorOne staff file did not contain a full employment history. The manager said this would be improved in future.
“However, the provider had not ensured one staff file had a full employment history which was an oversight.” from the report
Records not always available
needs fixingSome checks were not available at the home during the inspection. This made it harder for the manager to confirm that regulations were being met.
“Checks were not always available at the service which made it difficult for the registered manager to check they were meeting the regulations.” from the report
Medicine temperature checks
minorThe manager said temperature checks would be improved to help prevent medicines being damaged by hotter summer temperatures.
“The registered manager told us they would improve temperature checks to ensure medicines would not be damaged by hotter summer temperatures.” from the report
- 01Have you completed the missing employment history checks for all staff files?
- 02Are all recruitment, premises and care records now kept at the home and available for review?
- 03How are medicine storage temperatures checked, particularly during hotter weather?
- 04How will you assess and support my relative's mental health needs and any complex behaviours?
- 05How will my relative be supported to develop daily living skills and take part in activities they enjoy?
This was an announced, one-day inspection covering all five CQC questions, with discussions with three people and two staff and reviews of care, staff and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 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.
What inspectors found, October 2017
Heathvale House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 5 October 2017. One inspector spoke with the manager, three staff members, three people using the service and two professionals. They also checked care records, staff records and other service documents.
The home supported up to nine men with complex mental health needs. Eight people were living there during the inspection. Inspectors found safe medicine systems, suitable staffing, risk plans and safe recruitment checks. Staff understood safeguarding, mental capacity and legal safeguards.
People described staff as kind, respectful and supportive. Care plans were detailed and developed with the people using the service. People were supported with health appointments, activities, community access and complaints.
The overall rating was Good, and each of the five areas was also rated Good. This was the same overall rating as the comprehensive inspection in June 2015.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found medicines were stored securely and given by trained staff. Medicine records were completed correctly.
“We saw that staff had correctly followed the provider's policies when completing people's MAR charts.” from the report
Kind relationships
Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. Inspectors saw frequent positive contact and staff giving people time and attention.
“We saw frequent, positive engagements between people and staff.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's history, preferences and health needs. People were involved in writing and reviewing their plans.
“Comprehensive care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and had been produced jointly with them.” from the report
Support for independence
People were supported to make choices, attend appointments, take part in activities and use the local community.
“The service continued to encourage people to participate in activities, both in house and in the local community.” from the report
Relevant staff training
Staff received training linked to the needs of the people living in the home, including mental health-related support needs.
“These included epilepsy, challenging behaviour, substance misuse and autism.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing levels checked when several people are out at appointments at the same time?
- 02How often are each person's risk assessments reviewed when their needs or behaviour change?
- 03How are people involved in updating and reviewing their care plans?
- 04What activities and community opportunities are currently available for each person?
- 05Has the report from the September 2017 feedback survey now been completed, and what actions resulted from it?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led; all five ratings were assessed as Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 October 2017 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 Heathvale House
4 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 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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