CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Pax Hill Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and risks were assessed and managed. Medicines, staffing, recruitment checks and infection control were generally handled safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff had suitable training and support. Food, hydration, healthcare access and legal requirements about consent were managed effectively.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. People were involved in decisions, and their privacy and dignity were respected.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- The home provided highly individualised dementia care, meaningful activities and strong end of life support. Staff responded well to changes in people's health and preferences.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The service had an open, inclusive and improvement-focused culture. It welcomed challenge, used feedback and audits to improve care, and shared good practice with other services.
What inspectors found, December 2018
Pax Hill Nursing Home was rated Good overall, with Outstanding responsive care and strong support for people living with dementia.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 5 and 6 November 2018. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care and reviewed care plans, recruitment records and management records.
The home was rated Good for safe, effective and caring care, and for how it was led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, received medicines safely, had suitable staffing and were supported by trained staff. People were treated kindly, involved in decisions and supported to maintain their dignity.
Responsive care was rated Outstanding. Inspectors found particularly strong support for people living with dementia, meaningful activities and good responses when people's health deteriorated. People were supported to receive end of life care at the home when this matched their wishes.
The overall rating remained Good. Compared with the previous inspection, responsive care improved to Outstanding and well-led improved from Requires Improvement to Good.
Dementia support
Staff had developed a strong understanding of each person's history, communication and behaviour. This helped people living with dementia feel calmer and receive care in ways that suited them.
“These reports had developed staff's understanding of the person and helped staff to see them as an individual with a history and not just a person with a diagnosis of dementia.” from the report
Meaningful activities
Activities were shaped around people's interests and included trips, creative work, celebrations and links with local groups. People were able to try new things and contribute to their community.
“The activities provided had a beneficial impact upon people's sense of well-being.” from the report
End of life care
Staff were trained to notice changes in health and support people at the end of life in the home when that was their choice. Future wishes were recorded and used to guide care.
“Staff had exceptional skills in identifying and responding to changes in people's health and wellbeing when receiving care at the end of their life.” from the report
Improvement culture
Leadership was described as open and forward-thinking. The home used feedback, audits and constructive challenge to improve care and shared ideas with other services.
“The provider's representative and the experienced registered manager had worked together with staff to develop an open, dynamic and transparent culture for people, focused on improvement and delivering high quality care.” from the report
Employment history records
minorTwo of the five recruitment files checked used an older application form, so full employment histories had not been recorded. The manager acted during the inspection and obtained the missing information by the end of the visit.
“two of the five staff recruitment files we reviewed contained the old application form and these two staff had not provided a full employment history.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that every new staff member has provided a full employment history?
- 02How is the dementia specialist's advice recorded and shared with all staff caring for my relative?
- 03How would you support my relative if their health deteriorated or they needed end of life care?
- 04Which activities would match my relative's interests, abilities and wishes?
- 05How will my relative and our family be involved in reviewing their care plan and future wishes?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions and the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 December 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 Pax Hill Nursing Home
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- December 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- July 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 March 2013.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
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.