CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at No 68 Specialist Care
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, enough staff, safe recruitment and safe medicine systems. Infection prevention arrangements, including PPE, testing, visiting and outbreak planning, were also found to be satisfactory.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and reviewed, and staff had suitable training and supervision. Meals, healthcare access and support with consent were generally effective, although some capacity assessments were not decision-specific.
- Caring?
- Good
- People appeared relaxed with staff, and inspectors saw staff communicate calmly and respectfully. People and relatives said staff were kind, caring and supportive, and people were involved in choices about their care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans contained detailed information about people's preferences, communication and support needs. People were supported to maintain relationships, take part in activities and trips, and raise complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had visible management, regular staff meetings and comprehensive audits. Staff described an open culture and said they felt supported to raise ideas and concerns.
What inspectors found, September 2021
No 68 Specialist Care is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some capacity assessments needing review.
This was the first inspection of the newly registered home. It was unannounced and took place on 02 September 2021. One inspector spoke with people, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine systems, suitable risk assessments and good infection control arrangements.
People and relatives described staff as kind, caring and supportive. Care plans reflected people's choices and needs. People were supported with meals, healthcare, family contact, activities and trips.
The main shortfall was that some mental capacity assessments were not specific enough to the individual decision being made. The manager said these would be reviewed as a priority.
Kind and respectful care
People appeared comfortable with staff. Inspectors saw staff speak calmly, maintain eye contact and protect people's privacy and dignity.
“We saw that when staff spoke with people, they knelt to the person's eye level, or sat beside them so that they could see them clearly.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's choices, preferences and practical ways to support independence. Staff knew the people they cared for.
“Care plans contained detailed person-centred information for staff.” from the report
Activities and community access
People had regular opportunities to go out, take part in activities and maintain relationships with family and friends. Their choice not to join an activity was respected.
“The registered manager said they supported people to access the community on a regular basis.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and safe arrangements for storing, giving and checking medicines.
“There was enough staff on duty to meet people's needs.” from the report
Positive management
Staff described a supportive workplace, and the manager was visibly involved in the home. Audits were used to identify and address issues.
“There were comprehensive audits of all aspects of the service.” from the report
Some capacity assessments needed updating
needs fixingNot all mental capacity assessments were specific to the particular decision being considered. The manager said all assessments would be reviewed as a priority.
“However, not all the assessments had been completed on a decision specific basis.” from the report
- 01Which mental capacity assessments have been reviewed since the inspection, and are they now specific to each decision?
- 02How many staff are normally on duty for the day and night shifts, and how do you cover sickness or vacancies?
- 03Are the regular trips and activities still taking place, and how do you support people who prefer not to join in?
- 04How are people's individual food, communication, cultural and religious preferences recorded and checked?
- 05How are family visits and contact arranged if infection control restrictions change?
This was the first comprehensive inspection of the newly registered home, covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 September 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.
Every inspection of No 68 Specialist Care
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- September 2021Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 February 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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