CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Highbury Court Flats
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staffing, risk assessments, infection control and medicines management were generally safe, but guidance for medicines taken when needed needed more detail.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and preferences were assessed and care plans supported independence. The rating improved from Requires Improvement, although enhanced learning disability and autism training was still being provided.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were patient, kind and respectful. People were involved in decisions, supported to maintain relationships and encouraged to develop skills and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and described people's wishes, communication needs and social histories. People were supported to make daily choices, access the community and raise concerns.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had approachable leadership and a positive, person-centred culture. Some audits were late and senior quality visits had not taken place for over two years, so the CQC recommended stronger quality assurance systems.
What inspectors found, February 2023
Highbury Court Flats rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and person-centred care, with some audits and medicines guidance needing improvement.
The inspection took place on 2 February 2023 and was announced. One inspector spoke with four people and five staff. They reviewed care and staff records, audits and reports, and checked infection control.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were supported to make choices, stay independent and use local services. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, kind relationships and personalised care.
There were some areas to improve. Guidance for medicines taken when needed did not give enough detail, enhanced learning disability and autism training was still being introduced, and some quality checks had lapsed. The CQC made a recommendation to strengthen the quality assurance systems.
Kind staff relationships
Inspectors found staff to be calm, caring and attentive to people's emotional and support needs. People said they were happy with the staff.
“Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's preferences, communication needs and social histories. People had control over their daily lives and received help when they wanted it.
“We found care plans were person-centred and described people's wishes and preferences.” from the report
Safe staffing
The home had enough staff to meet people's needs and provide agreed support hours. People reported that staff were consistently available.
“The service deployed enough staff to meet people's needs and cover their agreed hours of support.” from the report
Medicines guidance
needs fixingProtocols for medicines taken when needed did not explain clearly enough how one person would communicate a need for medicines such as pain relief. The service also planned to introduce observational checks of staff giving medicines.
“However, these protocols needed further detail to provide staff with sufficient information on how the person would communicate medicines such as pain relief.” from the report
Staff training
needs fixingThe home had provided basic learning disability and autism awareness training, but this was not yet aligned with recent legal changes. Enhanced training was still being provided to all staff.
“However, this course needed to be aligned to the recent changes in legislation.” from the report
Quality checks
needs fixingSome audits were completed later than planned, and senior managers had not carried out quality visits for over two years. The CQC recommended that the home's quality assurance systems be strengthened.
“Senior managers undertook quality visits on behalf of the provider prior to 2020 and completed a report/audit following their visit.” from the report
- 01Have all staff now completed the enhanced learning disability and autism training referred to in the report?
- 02How have you improved the instructions for medicines taken when needed, including how a person communicates that they need pain relief?
- 03Are staff now having observational competency checks when administering medicines?
- 04How often are quality audits now completed, and how do you make sure they are not late?
- 05Have senior quality visits restarted since the inspection, and what did the most recent visit find?
This inspection covered all five CQC questions and included infection prevention and control checks under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 February 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.
Every inspection of Highbury Court Flats
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 January 2020.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Bury
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. 94 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Primrose is a very kind and compassionate healthcare professional”
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
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.