CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Heron Court Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Heron Court Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 16 February 2023. One inspector spoke with people, visitors and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, accident, incident and quality records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines systems, suitable risk assessments, good infection control and access to health professionals.
People and visitors described staff as friendly, caring and welcoming. Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. Staff supported people's choices, dignity, independence, communication needs and relationships.
The previous overall rating was Requires Improvement, published in May 2020. The report says improvements had been made and there were no breaches of regulation at the previous inspection.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives said staff were friendly and caring. Inspectors also saw warm, positive interactions and staff supporting people at their own pace.
“People and their relatives told us staff were friendly and caring towards them.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's health needs, interests, faith, communication methods and personal preferences. Staff knew people well and the care observed matched their plans.
“People were supported by staff who knew them well and information in people's care plans reflected the support we observed.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Medicines were given by trained nurses whose competence was checked. Inspectors found enough appropriately trained staff and regular medicines audits.
“Medicines administration records were maintained to a good standard and provided a clear audit trail.” from the report
Good management and improvement
The home had regular audits, staff meetings and feedback from people and relatives. Inspectors found that improvements from the previous inspection had been maintained.
“The registered manager had established a positive work environment and had maintained the improvements we found at the last inspection.” from the report
Refurbishment was still under way
minorOne unit was being refurbished and was not accessible to people or visitors during the inspection. Inspectors said this did not affect people's support or safety, but families may want to ask when the work will finish.
“The home was in the process of refurbishment and the unit under refurbishment was not accessible to people using the service and visitors.” from the report
Activities coordinator recruitment
minorActivities were available, but a care worker was coordinating them while the home advertised for a full-time activities coordinator. Families should ask how regular activities are currently planned.
“One member of the care staff team was allocated the task of coordinating activities.” from the report
- 01When will the refurbishment be completed, and which areas are currently unavailable to residents and visitors?
- 02Who is coordinating activities now, and how are activities matched to each person's interests and abilities?
- 03How often are care plans, risk assessments and medicines records reviewed for my relative?
- 04How will you keep me informed about changes in my relative's health or care needs?
- 05How can my relative or family raise a concern or complaint, and how will it be followed up?
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection that rated all five key questions and included infection prevention and control, the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 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, May 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control measures and clean, well-managed premises.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 8 April 2022. It focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspectors also asked about staffing pressures.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, supporting testing, managing visiting, and reducing the spread of infection. Visitors were offered lateral flow tests and protective equipment.
The home was clean and hygienic. Cleaning schedules, spot checks and infection control audits were in place. The report says actions identified through audits were completed promptly.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not give a Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate rating. It was a focused review rather than a full assessment of all five areas of care.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to reduce the risk of visitors catching and spreading infection. Testing and protective equipment were provided to visitors.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Clean premises
The premises were kept clean and hygienic. Cleaning schedules, spot checks and infection control audits were used to monitor standards.
“The premises were clean and hygienic.” from the report
Safe visiting
The home had several well-ventilated areas for visits and followed government guidance on visiting.
“There were several, well ventilated areas in the home, allowing for the visit to take place in a safe environment.” from the report
Audit follow-up
The report says that problems identified through infection control audits were dealt with promptly.
“Actions identified in the audits were completed in a timely manner.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are lateral flow testing and protective equipment provided to visitors now?
- 02How do you manage visitors and possible infection outbreaks across the different wings?
- 03What staffing pressures are there currently, and how could these affect care?
- 04How often are cleaning and infection control checks completed, and how are any problems followed up?
- 05What was the home's most recent full rating for care, medicines, staffing and leadership?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about 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 31 May 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.
Every inspection of Heron Court Care Home
7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2020Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2018Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 November 2010.
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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78 live-in carers within about an hour of Derby
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 62 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“We particularly appreciate the companionship Dawn gives in the evenings when she plays cards and Scrabble with my mother.”
“Rachel is a quietly spoken, extremely caring person and looked after Val very well.”
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