CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Orchardown Rest Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, August 2017
Orchardown Rest Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, with some records, communication and activity arrangements still needing attention.
This was an unannounced inspection on 21 and 27 June 2017. One inspector reviewed records, observed care, and spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and health professionals.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found improvements since May 2016. Earlier breaches about safety, welfare and record keeping had been addressed.
People were seen as safe and well cared for. Care plans and risk assessments had improved, medicines were generally managed safely, and staff were described as kind and patient. Inspectors still found some gaps in medicine records and said new systems needed time to become part of everyday practice.
Kind and personal care
Staff knew people well and treated them with patience and kindness. They supported personal choices and respected privacy.
“Staff knew people well and actively engaged in conversation throughout the day and when they were supporting people with care needs.” from the report
Improved care planning
New care plans included people's health needs, risks, preferences and life history. Reviews were being completed to keep information up to date.
“New care plans had been implemented and information was now person centred and more detailed.” from the report
Health and nutrition support
The home monitored people's weight and made referrals when concerns about nutrition, falls or health were identified. Meal choices and special dietary needs were recorded.
“People were supported to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet.” from the report
Improvement since the last inspection
The home had acted on the earlier findings about safety, welfare and records. The two regulations breached in 2016 were being met at this inspection.
“We found that improvements had been made; the provider was now meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.” from the report
Medicine records
needs fixingInspectors found four gaps in medicine administration records, so it was initially unclear whether some medicines had been given. Staff followed this up immediately, but accurate recording needed closer checking.
“We found four signature gaps on the MAR chart where it was unclear if people had received their medicines or not.” from the report
Email communication
needs fixingSome relatives who lived further away experienced delays when contacting the home by email. Inspectors recommended getting advice to improve how emails were managed.
“relatives who lived a distance away and had previously contacted the home by email told us there could be quite a delay before they received a response.” from the report
New systems still bedding in
minorCare records, audits and other quality checks had improved, but some were new or had not yet started. Inspectors said more time was needed for them to become routine.
“some areas required time to become fully embedded into everyday practice.” from the report
- 01How are medicine administration records checked each day now, and have there been any further gaps?
- 02Who monitors and responds to emails from relatives, and what is the expected response time?
- 03What activities are currently offered for people who cannot go out without support?
- 04How are care plans and risk assessments reviewed when a person's needs change?
- 05What would happen if my relative's care needs increased beyond what the home can provide?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five ratings, and it also checked improvements made after breaches found in May 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 August 2017 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 Orchardown Rest Home
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2017Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 January 2011.
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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19 live-in carers within about an hour of East Sussex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,000 to £1,400 a week. 13 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“When he point blank refused to go into hospital for a life saving blood transfusion she talked him through the situation and agreed to go in the ambulance with him and stayed until he was settled.”
“Una felt safe, secure and loved in her time with Debbie which is a gift that I am eternally grateful for.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.