CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Highview Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong Covid-19 infection controls, but the home could not cohort residents during an outbreak.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 19 February 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE safely, followed visiting, testing, shielding and social distancing arrangements, and kept the home clean. Residents had received their first Covid-19 vaccine and no resident had Covid-19 at the visit.
The home had a relatives’ visiting hub, video and telephone calls, regular cleaning and infection control audits. It also had an outbreak plan, although it could not separate residents into specific areas if an outbreak happened.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not give an overall rating or assess the wider quality of care.
Clean environment
The home was clean and uncluttered, with cleaning schedules in place.
“The home was clean and free from clutter.” from the report
Safe visiting
The home created a separate relatives’ hub and used testing, PPE and appointments to support visits during the pandemic.
“The home provided effective and safe ways for people to visit their relatives during the Covid-19 pandemic.” from the report
Regular testing
Staff were tested weekly and residents every 28 days through the whole-home testing programme.
“The service participated in the whole home testing programme, this meant staff were tested for Covid-19 weekly and residents were tested every 28 days.” from the report
Infection control checks
The home had an infection control policy and monthly audits. Inspectors said identified shortfalls were dealt with immediately.
“IPC audits were completed monthly and included extra measures the home had put in place due to Covid-19.” from the report
Limited outbreak separation
minorThe home could not move residents into separate areas if an outbreak occurred. Its plan instead relied on allocating staff to specific areas.
“The home did not have the capacity to cohort residents to specific areas of the home.” from the report
- 01How would you manage an outbreak now, given that the home could not cohort residents into separate areas?
- 02How often are staff and residents tested now, and what happens if someone tests positive?
- 03How do visits work now, and is the relatives’ hub still available?
- 04When was the home’s latest full CQC inspection, covering care beyond infection control?
- 05How are infection control audit findings recorded and followed up?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it did not assess the other areas of care or provide an overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 March 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 after a focused inspection found staffing changes had improved night-time support, but medicine timing records needed attention.
Inspectors made an unannounced focused visit on 8 August 2018, starting at 5:50am. They were checking concerns about night staffing and whether people were being woken earlier than they wished. They spoke with nine residents, the registered manager and four staff, observed care, and checked records.
The home was rated Good overall, with Safe and Well-led also rated Good. Staffing had been changed because more people were waking early and some needed two staff for support. The manager added an extra care worker from 5:15am and said staffing would continue to be reviewed.
People received their medicines, but some morning medicines were given earlier than the times on the prescription labels. The actual times were not recorded, so the manager agreed to seek advice, improve records and monitor this through audits. Inspectors also found missing records about agency staff inductions and checks, and action was taken after the visit.
This was a focused inspection. It did not inspect all five areas of care. The report says the remaining areas had no identified concerns through ongoing monitoring or inspection activity, and the Good rating from the comprehensive inspection on 15 May 2018 remained in place.
Kind staff
People gave very positive comments about the staff and managers' care.
“People spoke very highly of how caring the staff and managers were” from the report
Staffing responded to need
The home changed early-morning staffing after recognising that people were waking earlier and some needed two staff.
“Staffing levels had been adjusted to meet people's needs.” from the report
Safe medicine systems
Inspectors found safe arrangements for ordering, storing and disposing of medicines, with trained staff administering them.
“The service had safe procedures for the ordering, storage and disposal of medicines.” from the report
Active management
The manager reviewed people's needs, rotas and night care records, then made changes and planned further monitoring.
“The registered manager had systems in place to monitor people's needs, how these were met and staffing levels required to support people's needs appropriately.” from the report
Night-time cover
seriousBefore the staffing change, two care workers supporting one person could leave no staff available for others in the home. The manager added another early-shift worker after this was discussed.
“if the two care staff were supporting someone in their room, there were no staff available for the other people who were living in the home.” from the report
Medicine timing records
needs fixingSome medicines were given earlier than prescribed, but the actual administration times were not recorded. This could affect medicines that need fixed intervals.
“This meant that day staff may not be aware of the difference in administration times and this may have an impact on people whose medicines should be given at fixed intervals.” from the report
Agency staff records
needs fixingRecords did not always show agency workers' training dates or criminal records check dates. Inductions were also not recorded at the time.
“There were no records of these inductions or their content.” from the report
- 01Is an extra care worker still scheduled from 5:15am, and how do you cover times when two staff are supporting one person?
- 02How are medicine administration times now recorded and checked against prescription instructions?
- 03What advice was received from GPs about giving morning medicines earlier than the labelled time?
- 04How do you record agency workers' inductions, training dates and criminal records check dates?
- 05How often are the new staffing and medicine arrangements reviewed through audits?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, prompted by concerns about night staffing; the other key questions were not inspected and the previous Good ratings carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 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 Highview Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 December 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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