CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Little Croft Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, July 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found unsafe night staffing, medicines problems and weak checks on the quality of care.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 16 May 2023. Inspectors spoke with people, a relative and staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records, recruitment files and management audits.
The home did not always have enough staff at night. The registered manager said at least three staff were needed, but inspectors found 11 nights with only two carers between 13 March and 10 April 2023, plus further occasions in May. People said they sometimes waited a long time for care.
Inspectors also found medicines trolleys left in an unsuitable place and medicines records that were not accurate or properly checked. The provider's quality checks had not found these problems. The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection to Requires Improvement.
Safe recruitment
Staff recruitment checks were in place, including checks of experience, character and criminal records.
“Staff were employed following a safe recruitment process.” from the report
Safe environment
The home was clean and tidy, with regular checks of the building and equipment.
“The environment was safe. Regular checks had been carried out, which included, but were not limited to, electric, gas safety checks and moving and handling equipment.” from the report
Person-centred care
Staff knew people's preferences and how they liked to spend their day. The home was also working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act.
“People's care was planned with them, and their preferences were known by the staff.” from the report
Staff support
Staff said they received regular supervision and felt supported in their roles.
“I have had regular supervision. I do feel supported” from the report
Night staffing
seriousThe home sometimes had only two carers at night when at least three were needed. This caused delays and created risks when people needed two staff for support.
“People were not always protected from risk because the provider failed to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff.” from the report
Medicines management
seriousMedicines trolleys were left in the dining room without the required secure storage. Medicines records were not always accurate, and handwritten records were not always double signed.
“This meant people we could not be sure the provider had safe systems in place for the management of medicines.” from the report
Weak quality checks
needs fixingThe provider's audits did not identify problems that inspectors found. There were no formal provider audits, and staff survey results had not been analysed or followed by an action plan.
“The providers systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service were not always robust.” from the report
Unresolved staff concerns
needs fixingThe registered manager had not responded to concerns raised by staff about practice, people's treatment and staff competence. There was no evidence of action at the time of inspection.
“We found the registered manager had not responded when the staff had raised concerns, about other staff practice, the treatment of people and staff competence.” from the report
- 01How are you making sure there are at least three suitably trained staff on every night shift?
- 02What has changed since the inspection to prevent delays when people need two staff to support them?
- 03How are medicines trolleys now stored, and how are medicines records checked for accuracy and double signing?
- 04What formal audits are now carried out by the provider, and how will you show that they identify and fix problems?
- 05How have concerns raised by staff been investigated and acted on?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the report did not provide ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 July 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, June 2022
Little Croft Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but staff interactions in communal areas needed improvement.
This was the first inspection since the home was taken over by a new provider and registered in March 2021. Two inspectors made an unannounced visit on 04 May 2022. They spoke with five people, the manager and three staff, observed care, and checked care, training, recruitment and management records.
Inspectors found people were safe, supported by enough staff and given their medicines as prescribed. The home was clean, infection control was suitable, and staff followed safe recruitment checks. People received support with food, drinks, healthcare, communication and personal care. Inspectors also found kind staff, personalised care and a range of activities.
All five CQC areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means inspectors found the service was consistently meeting people's needs and was well managed at the time of the inspection. They did identify that staff did not always interact with people in communal areas and gave feedback to the management team.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse, and safeguarding concerns were investigated and referred when needed.
“People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff administering medicines were trained and checked as competent, and medicines were audited.
“There were sufficient numbers of staff to support people.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their dignity, choices, independence and personal preferences.
“Staff respected people's individuality and treated people with kindness and compassion.” from the report
Personalised support and activities
Care was tailored to each person and considered physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. People had activities and social opportunities during the day.
“Activities were an integral part of each person's daily life.” from the report
Staff interaction in communal areas
needs fixingDuring two observations, some staff entered lounges without speaking with people, or focused on handheld records instead of interacting. Inspectors gave feedback to the manager.
“We found that improvements were required in relation to staff interactions with people.” from the report
Recording provider visits
minorThe provider visited weekly, but inspectors suggested using a formal audit tool to record any improvements identified during those visits.
“We gave feedback to the provider about using a formal audit tool to record where any improvements were noted when they visited.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to improve staff interaction with people in lounges and other communal areas?
- 02Has the specific mental health training mentioned in the report now been completed, and what did it cover?
- 03How do you now record and follow up improvements identified during the provider's weekly visits?
- 04How do you make sure activities reflect each person's interests, life history and communication needs?
- 05How do you check that people's care plans are updated promptly when their needs or health change?
This was the first comprehensive inspection of the newly registered service and covered all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 June 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 Little Croft Care Home
7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.
- July 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2022GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- March 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 March 2021.
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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39 live-in carers within about an hour of South Gloucestershire
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Most charge £1,020 to £1,280 a week. 32 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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