CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Liberty House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, October 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and cared for, but some care records needed updating and a new manager was still embedding improvements.
This was an unannounced inspection after concerns about medicines, management and person-centred care. Inspectors visited on 28 September and 2 October 2023. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, received medicines as prescribed, and had enough staff to support them. The home was clean and infection control arrangements were in place.
A new manager had been in post for about four weeks and had started making improvements. Some risk assessments needed updating, and management systems were still being embedded. The overall Good rating remained because the other areas were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward.
Safe care
Risks were identified and managed, and staff knew people's current needs. People were protected from abuse and staff knew how to report concerns.
“Risks associated with people's care were identified and managed to keep people safe.” from the report
Medicines
People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. Staff were trained and checked whether people needed pain relief.
“People received their medicines as prescribed, by staff who were trained and competent to administer medicines safely.” from the report
Staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found enough staff to respond to people promptly. Recruitment records included appropriate checks.
“People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were able to respond to people in a timely way.” from the report
Understanding people's needs
Staff knew people well, supported independence and involved people in their care. Inspectors observed caring and supportive interactions.
“Person centred care was promoted throughout the home. We observed staff interacting with people in a caring and supportive way.” from the report
Learning from incidents
The manager reviewed accidents and incidents and used them to reduce the chance of similar events happening again.
“The manager analysed incidents and used them as learning opportunities to minimise future occurrences.” from the report
Care records needed updating
needs fixingSome risk assessments did not yet reflect people's current needs or the support they required. The manager addressed this during the inspection.
“Some risk assessments required updating to reflect people's current needs and how to support them.” from the report
New management arrangements
minorThe manager had been in post for about four weeks and was still registering with CQC. Management systems and improvements were still being put into practice.
“The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the service. The manager was in the process of organising systems to improve effectiveness.” from the report
- 01Have all risk assessments now been updated to reflect each person's current needs and support?
- 02What actions are included in the home's action plan, and what progress has been made?
- 03Has the new manager completed the CQC registration process?
- 04What were the previous ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive?
- 05How does the home check that medicines continue to be given on time and as prescribed?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led after concerns were received; the other key question ratings were not inspected and were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 October 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, April 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but some people felt staff were rushed and food was sometimes cold.
This was the home’s first inspection since it registered with CQC in June 2020. The inspection was unannounced and looked at all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They observed care and checked records, medicines, recruitment and quality systems.
The overall rating was Good, with Good ratings in all five areas. Inspectors found that people felt safe, medicines were managed safely, risks were assessed and staff were recruited safely. They also found good support with health, food, drink, personal choices and communication with healthcare professionals.
Inspectors saw kind and respectful care. Care plans were personalised and activities were varied. The home supported people to keep in touch with family and friends, including during the pandemic. Managers were seen as approachable, and the home had systems to monitor quality and learn when things went wrong.
The inspection was partly prompted by concerns about safeguarding, staffing, medicines, moving and handling, nutrition, hydration and the standard of care. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Some staff said they were working very hard, and some people and relatives said staff seemed too busy or had to rush.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw warm, gentle interactions. People and relatives spoke positively about staff and felt people were treated with dignity.
“People were treated as individuals by staff, who were kind, considerate and treated people with respect.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's individual needs and preferences. Staff knew people well and supported their choices and independence.
“We found they were personalised, detailing each person's individual needs and how they liked to be cared for.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely. Staff had training and competency checks.
“Our checks indicated people received their prescribed medicines when they needed them.” from the report
Activities and family contact
The home offered a varied programme of activities and helped people keep in contact with family and friends during the pandemic.
“The staff team have supported people to keep in touch with their families and friends throughout the pandemic.” from the report
Effective management
The home used audits and other checks to monitor quality. Managers acted when improvements were needed and staff felt able to speak up.
“Very comprehensive quality and safety audits were completed.” from the report
Staff felt under pressure
needs fixingMost staff said they were working very hard, mainly because of Covid-19 staffing pressures. Some people and relatives felt staff were too busy and had to rush, although inspectors found this had not put people at risk.
“Although, some people and their relatives told us they felt staff were too busy and had to rush from task to task.” from the report
Food was sometimes cold
minorOne person felt portions were a little small and said food was sometimes spoiled because it was cold. This was raised with the registered manager.
“Sometimes the food is absolutely brilliant, and it's spoiled because it's cold.” from the report
- 01How are you managing the staffing pressures that staff reported, and how do you make sure people are not rushed?
- 02How do you check that there are enough staff at busy times and when people’s needs change?
- 03What action was taken after feedback that some meals were cold or portions were small?
- 04How will you make sure my relative’s care plan reflects their preferences and is updated when their needs change?
- 05How can relatives raise concerns, and how will we be told what action has been taken?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions; it was the first inspection since the home registered with CQC. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 April 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 Liberty House
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2022GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 September 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.
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92 live-in carers within about an hour of Doncaster
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. 77 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Carla has been a god send with the implementation of bringing mum back home from respite care.”
“I can honestly say without Petros I don't believe he would have lived an extra 2 years”
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