CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management and suitable checks on health and safety. Care records about some dietary needs were not always clear, but the manager amended them immediately.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff received regular training, supervision and support. People received help with food, drink and healthcare, and staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. The home was not always dementia friendly.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff gave people choices, supported independence and kept relatives informed.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed, personalised and regularly updated. People were offered activities, supported to maintain relationships and able to raise complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found open and supportive leadership. Audits, meetings and feedback systems were used to monitor care and make improvements.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but the environment was not always dementia friendly.
This was an unannounced, planned full inspection on 01 August 2022. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They also reviewed care records, medicines records, staff recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, regular staff training and detailed care plans. People and relatives described staff as kind, caring and available when needed.
The home had been recently decorated and was described as homely. However, some decoration, signs and sensory items were not well suited to people living with dementia. The provider was given a recommendation to consider best practice.
The rating had improved from Requires Improvement under the previous provider. A 2020 review found the provider was no longer breaching regulations, but the service was still rated Requires Improvement. This was the first full inspection under the new provider.
Safe medicines and staffing
Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely. Inspectors also found enough staff to meet people's needs.
“People's medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff available to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were attentive, offered choices and respected people's privacy, dignity and independence.
“Kind and caring interactions were observed during the inspection.” from the report
Personalised care planning
Care plans included people's preferences, life histories and support needs. They were updated as people's needs changed.
“Care plans were consistently updated to reflect people's changing needs.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People could take part in a wide range of activities and were supported to maintain important friendships and family relationships.
“People were supported and encouraged to undertake activities and maintain social relationships to promote their wellbeing.” from the report
Open leadership
Staff felt supported and relatives said communication was regular and open. The home used audits and feedback to improve its work.
“The leadership of the service had a positive influence on the performance and caring approaches taken by the staff team.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
minorThe décor and signs did not always help people living with dementia find their way around or engage with their surroundings. Inspectors made a recommendation for improvement.
“The decoration and décor were not always dementia friendly.” from the report
Some dietary records were unclear
minorRecords were not always clear or consistent about people's dietary needs and who needed fortified drinks and snacks. The manager corrected these records during the inspection.
“Records were not always consistent around who required fortified drinks and snacks.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to the signs, décor and sensory items for people living with dementia?
- 02How do you check that records about fortified drinks, snacks and other dietary needs are accurate?
- 03How do you make sure there are enough staff on each shift as people's needs change?
- 04How are people and relatives involved in reviewing personalised care plans?
- 05How do you use complaints, audits and feedback to make further improvements?
This was the first full inspection under the new provider and covered all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 August 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.
What inspectors found, November 2020
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind and effective care, but medicines, records and some night staffing concerns remained.
Inspectors visited on 21 and 23 September 2020. They spoke with six people, eight relatives, 15 staff and two visiting professionals. They also reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and quality records.
The home had improved since the previous inspection. Effective and well-led care moved from Requires Improvement to Good. Staff generally knew people's needs, supported their choices and sought help from health professionals when needed.
Safe care remained Requires Improvement. People received their medicines, but topical creams were not always given as prescribed and records were inconsistent. There were also mixed views about night staffing and whether staff felt confident raising concerns.
The overall rating stayed Requires Improvement. This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led, with infection prevention also checked. The other two areas were not inspected at this visit.
Kind staff
People and relatives described staff as caring, attentive and willing to help.
“The best thing about the home is the caring staff.” from the report
Improved management
The management team had introduced better checks and action plans to identify and address problems.
“Quality monitoring tools had been effective in identifying where changes needed to be made.” from the report
Good staff training
Staff had the skills, induction, supervision and training needed to support people.
“People and relatives said staff knew their needs well and had the right training to care for them.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home used protective equipment, supported testing and had arrangements to manage infection outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Topical creams
seriousPeople received their creams, but they were not always given as prescribed and the recording was inconsistent. The provider had identified this and put actions in place.
“Continued improvements were needed to ensure topical creams were managed safely.” from the report
Night staffing
needs fixingPeople and relatives gave mixed views about whether there were enough staff at night. The provider said this would be reviewed.
“We received mixed reviews about staffing levels at night.” from the report
Gaps in records
needs fixingCare records had improved but were not always complete. The gaps had been identified through checks and action plans were being used.
“There were gaps within care records, however they had been highlighted during quality assurance checks.” from the report
Feedback when concerns are raised
needs fixingStaff understood how to raise concerns, but some said they did not receive feedback after doing so. Management said this would be addressed.
“Staff said when they raised a potential concern, they did not receive any feedback about this.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure topical creams are given exactly as prescribed and recorded correctly?
- 02What has changed about staffing levels at night since this inspection?
- 03How are gaps in care records found, corrected and checked afterwards?
- 04How do staff receive feedback after raising a safeguarding or other concern?
- 05Which improvements from the previous inspection are still being monitored?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led, including infection prevention; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 November 2020 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 Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home
5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home →
- November 2020Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home →
- November 2019Requires improvementdown from OutstandingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2017Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- December 2014GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 July 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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