CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Maple Tree Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe, risks were recorded and staff knew how to manage them. Inspectors found medicines were given safely and audits identified errors and supported learning.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had the knowledge and training to provide effective care. People had enough food and drink, could access healthcare professionals, and were supported to make choices under the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- People said staff were kind, compassionate and respectful. Staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and involvement in care decisions.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was planned around people's preferences and needs. People could choose activities, and complaints were investigated and resolved.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective checks on care, risks and quality. People, relatives and staff reported improvements and said they felt listened to and supported.
What inspectors found, May 2019
Maple Tree Court was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements made to medicines since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 08 May 2019. Inspectors reviewed information about the home, spoke with 11 people, six relatives or visitors, seven care staff and a regional manager. They also checked care and medicines records, staff recruitment and training records, and management checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people felt safe, received their medicines as prescribed, had enough food and drink, and were supported by staff with suitable knowledge and skills.
People described kind and respectful care. Staff understood people's individual needs, choices and risks. The home had systems for complaints, monitoring care and learning from accidents or other problems.
At the previous inspection in May 2018, the home was rated Requires Improvement overall because of concerns about medicines. Inspectors said the necessary improvements had been made, so the overall rating became Good.
Medicines improved
People said they received medicines when needed. Staff were trained and confident, and audits were used to identify errors and support learning.
“People told us they received their medicines when required.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as kind, patient and compassionate. Inspectors saw caring relationships and respect for privacy and dignity.
“People told us, and we saw staff were kind and compassionate in their approach with people, and caring relationships had developed.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff knew people's choices, interests and preferred routines. Care records recorded likes, dislikes and preferences, including preferences about personal care staff.
“Staff had excellent knowledge about people and how they preferred their care delivered.” from the report
Good oversight and learning
The home used audits, incident records and action plans to monitor care and make changes when problems or trends were identified.
“The provider had an effective system which monitored the care people received and when problems were identified action was taken to ensure lessons were learnt.” from the report
Recent management changes
minorA manager had left, and another manager had been appointed. The new manager's application to register with the CQC was not complete at the time of the inspection.
“Another manager had been appointed and had applied to register with us. This application had not been completed at the time of our inspection.” from the report
- 01What checks are now used to make sure medicines are given and recorded correctly?
- 02What is the current management structure, and has the manager's CQC registration application been completed?
- 03How are people's individual risks and care plans reviewed when their needs change?
- 04How are people and relatives involved in reviewing care and making decisions?
- 05What activities are available for a person with dementia who prefers to spend time in their room?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC questions and both the care provided and the care home premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 May 2019 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 2018
Maple Tree Court was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, responsive care, but medicines, risk checks and management oversight still needed work.
This was an unannounced inspection on 19 April 2018. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment, training and management records.
The home had improved since the previous inspection, when it was rated Inadequate and placed in special measures. People were now supported by enough trained staff, treated with kindness and dignity, and given care that reflected their preferences. The home was removed from special measures.
However, some topical medicine records were incomplete and one person's diabetes risks were not recorded clearly enough. The systems used to check care were not always effective at finding these problems. This is why Safe and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement, while Effective, Caring and Responsive were rated Good.
Good food and health support
People enjoyed the food and those at risk of malnutrition had support plans. Health professionals were contacted when needed and their advice was followed.
“People enjoyed the food provided and were supported with their nutritional needs.” from the report
Personalised activities and care
People could choose activities and care was based on their preferences, interests, cultural needs and life history.
“People's past lives, cultural and diverse needs were assessed and considered to enable individualised care that met all aspects of people's needs.” from the report
Clear improvement since the last inspection
The home had acted on the previous inspection findings and was no longer Inadequate or in special measures.
“During this inspection the service demonstrated to us that improvements have been made and is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions.” from the report
Topical medicine records
seriousThere were gaps in records showing whether topical creams had been given. One person at high risk of skin damage may therefore have been at risk of harm.
“We found that some improvements were needed to ensure that staff recorded when people had been supported with their topical creams.” from the report
Risk information was incomplete
seriousOne person's diabetes risks were not recorded, and staff did not know what action to take if their blood sugar dropped. The manager acted immediately during the inspection.
“People's risks had not always been consistently assessed and managed.” from the report
Audits did not find problems
needs fixingCare plan audits and reviews had not identified missing diabetes information or topical medicine recording errors. Further improvement was needed to make the checking systems effective.
“Care plan audits and reviews that had been carried out had not identified that records were not always up to date.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that topical creams are given as prescribed and recorded every time?
- 02How are diabetes and other health risks recorded, explained to staff and reviewed when needs change?
- 03What checks are used to make sure care plan and medicine audits identify problems promptly?
- 04Has the manager now completed CQC registration, and who is responsible for the home until then?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, including care, medicines, staffing, records, the environment and management systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 May 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 Maple Tree Court
4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- May 2019Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2017Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2016Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 February 2016.
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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