CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Montgomery Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed and monitored, staffing was sufficient, recruitment checks were completed and medicines were used safely. Infection control and cleanliness were also found to be well maintained.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not covered by this inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not covered by this inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not covered by this inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective quality checks, an open culture and good communication. People, families and staff said the home had improved since the new management team arrived.
What inspectors found, June 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, well-managed care and improvements under new management, with some medicines guidance still being developed.
The inspection visit took place on 31 May 2023 without notice. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, family members, staff and a visiting healthcare professional. They also checked care records, medicines records, staff recruitment files and management audits.
The home was rated Good overall and Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were assessed and managed, staffing was sufficient, medicines were administered safely, and infection control and cleanliness were well maintained. People and family members said they felt safe and well cared for.
A new manager and two new deputy managers had recently been appointed. People, families and staff described improvements in organisation, communication and atmosphere. The home had acted on a recommendation from the previous inspection by making its weekly quality checks more effective.
Risks managed
Care plans gave staff guidance about risks, and safety was monitored. Incidents were reviewed and lessons were shared to help prevent them happening again.
“Risks to people were assessed and their safety was monitored and managed.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough suitably skilled staff. People and families said staff were available and responded without long waits.
“People told us there were always enough staff around to help them and that they didn't have to wait long for assistance.” from the report
Improved management
The new management team had made improvements to organisation, communication and the atmosphere. Audits were being completed consistently and actions were taken when improvements were needed.
“Feedback from people and others confirmed there had been a number of improvements to the service since the appointment of the manager and 2 new deputy managers.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that infection prevention measures, protective equipment and cleanliness were being managed effectively. The home had also achieved a high score in a recent infection control audit.
“The service was recently awarded a Gold Certificate for Excellence with infection prevention and control after achieving a score of 97% during an audit carried out by The NHS Infection Prevention Control Team.” from the report
Registered manager application
minorThere was no registered manager in post when inspectors visited. A new manager had applied to CQC to become the registered manager.
“At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post.” from the report
Some medicines guidance still developing
minorInstructions for medicines given when needed were in place, but inspectors said they could be more tailored to each person.
“These were in the process of being developed as it was recognised, they could be more person centred.” from the report
- 01Has the new manager now become registered with CQC?
- 02How have the instructions for medicines given when needed been made more person-centred?
- 03How will you maintain the improvements made since the new management team was appointed?
- 04How are families involved in reviewing care plans and giving feedback?
- 05How do you make sure staffing levels remain safe when there are unexpected staff absences?
This was a planned inspection that assessed Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; the other three key question ratings were not given in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 June 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, January 2019
Montgomery Care Home was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care, but the service needed stronger management checks.
Inspectors visited on 24 and 31 October 2018. Both visits were unannounced. They looked at care records, medicines, recruitment files, staffing rotas and the living environment. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and the manager.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. People said they felt safe, staff knew them well, and their health, food and personal care needs were supported. Inspectors also found improvements since the previous inspection, including better care planning, staff training and recruitment records.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. The manager had not registered with the CQC. Some quality checks and monitoring visits were not recorded consistently. The CQC recommended that the provider review and monitor its weekly quality checks.
Safe medicines support
The home had introduced an electronic medicines system, secure storage and competency checks for staff who administered medicines.
“Systems were in place to ensure that people's medicines were safely stored and to help ensure that people received their medicines when they needed them.” from the report
Caring staff
Staff responded calmly when people became anxious and supported people to communicate, make choices and remain independent.
“Staff managed these situations well by offering a hug or other calming physical interaction such as holding hands or an arm around a shoulder along with distractions to reduce the person's anxiety successfully.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found sufficient staff on duty and saw call bells answered promptly. People said they did not have to wait for their needs to be met.
“Sufficient staff were on duty to meet people's needs.” from the report
Improvement since the last inspection
The provider had improved care planning, staff training and recruitment records. The previous breaches had been resolved.
“During this inspection we found that improvements had been made and their registered provider was no longer in breach of these Regulations.” from the report
Management checks not consistently recorded
needs fixingSome weekly quality checks and provider monitoring visits were not recorded. The CQC recommended that these checks should be reviewed and monitored to make sure they are effective and consistent.
“However, not all of these checks had been recorded.” from the report
No registered manager
needs fixingA manager was in post but had not registered with the CQC. This was the main reason the well-led question was rated Requires Improvement.
“At the time of this inspection there was a manager in post, however, they had not registered with the Care Quality Commission.” from the report
Staff supervision needed attention
needs fixingNo staff supervision meetings had taken place since June 2018. The manager recognised that more one-to-one meetings needed to be scheduled.
“Records demonstrated that since June 2018 no supervisions had taken place.” from the report
Some records were incomplete
minorOne person's fluid records were not fully completed. The complaints log also needed more information about complainants and investigation outcomes.
“These records for one person had not been fully completed.” from the report
- 01Has the manager now registered with the CQC, and if not, what is the current position?
- 02How are weekly quality checks recorded now, and who reviews them to make sure they are effective?
- 03How often do staff receive supervision and one-to-one support?
- 04How do you make sure fluid records and other daily care records are completed fully?
- 05What risk assessment and checks are now in place for hot radiators and emergency evacuation plans?
This was an unannounced inspection over two days covering all five key questions and the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 January 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.
Every inspection of Montgomery Care Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2018Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 November 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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