CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Peony Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks, staffing, medicines, premises, hygiene and accidents were managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Inspectors did record that people were happy with their care and described staff as kind and caring.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found the home was managed well. Leaders sought people's views, acted on feedback, checked the quality of care and worked with healthcare professionals.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Peony Court was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, enough staff and effective management.
This was an unannounced inspection on 26 July 2023. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, relatives, staff and managers. They observed care and checked care records, medicines, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, risks were managed, staffing was sufficient, medicines were given safely and infection control was effective. People and relatives described staff as kind, caring and available when needed.
Only Safe and Well-led were inspected at this visit. The ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. The overall rating remained Good.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough suitably skilled staff. People did not have to wait long for help, and recruitment checks were completed.
“We saw people did not have to wait long for assistance and call bells were answered promptly.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines records, stock and balances were checked. Inspectors found people consistently received their medicines as prescribed.
“Our checks of medicines stocks, balances and records showed people consistently received the medicines prescribed to them.” from the report
Kind and caring staff
People said staff treated them well. Inspectors observed kindness and respect in interactions between staff, people and visitors.
“They are the absolute best thing about the home. They are wonderful, gentle and fun, and very caring.” from the report
Management oversight
The manager and provider carried out regular checks and acted on issues found. Staff said they could raise concerns and give ideas for improvement.
“The registered manager had good oversight of the service and undertook audits and checks at regular intervals to make sure people were safe and receiving high quality care and support.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and meet my relative's particular care and support needs?
- 02What staffing levels are in place at different times of day and overnight?
- 03How do you check that medicines remain accurate and are given as prescribed?
- 04How do you involve residents and relatives when care or activities need to change?
- 05What actions have followed from recent accident, incident or complaint reviews?
This was an unannounced inspection of Safe and Well-led; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 August 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, August 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with improvements needed to make the environment more suitable for people living with dementia.
This was an unannounced inspection on 28 and 29 June 2018. Inspectors reviewed seven care records, staff training and recruitment records, and records about how the home was managed. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff, managers and a healthcare professional. They also observed care, including at lunchtime.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable care plans, kind and respectful staff, useful activities and effective checks on the quality of care.
The previous inspection in March 2017 rated the home Requires Improvement overall. Problems then included medicines not always being managed safely, too few staff and weak quality monitoring. Inspectors said the provider had completed the actions it had promised. They recommended further work to make the environment more suitable for people living with dementia.
Most records were detailed, accurate and well organised. However, some information, including weight charts, was not securely stored or easy to find. The manager said more storage would be ordered. Inspectors said this was not a breach because people's privacy was maintained.
Staffing and safety
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse, and risks were assessed and reviewed.
“There was sufficient staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely. Inspectors found no gaps in the medicine administration records they checked.
“There were now safe systems in place for ordering, storing and administering medicines and for monitoring controlled drugs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their privacy, dignity, choices and independence.
“Throughout our inspection we observed staff speaking with and treating people in a respectful manner.” from the report
Activities and personal choices
People could join group or one-to-one activities, go on outings and maintain contact with family and friends.
“People were provided with a variety of social activities that met their needs and helped protect them from social isolation.” from the report
Improved management checks
The provider had improved its systems for checking the quality and safety of care since the previous inspection.
“During this inspection, we found the provider's systems had improved and there were effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
needs fixingThe home was clean and being refurbished, but inspectors recommended finding out more about adaptations to support people living with dementia.
“We recommend that the service finds out more about appropriate adaptations, based on current best practice in relation to the specialist needs of people living with dementia.” from the report
Finding some records
needs fixingSome information, including weight charts, was not securely stored or promptly located. Inspectors were concerned that some staff did not know where to find important information.
“However, we were concerned that some staff did not know where to find important information relating to people.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the building and communal areas to support people living with dementia?
- 02How do staff find important information quickly, including weight charts and other monitoring records?
- 03How do you make sure staffing levels remain sufficient at weekends and when staff are unexpectedly absent?
- 04How are medicines checked now, and what action is taken if a record or dose is incorrect?
- 05How do you use residents' and relatives' feedback to improve care and activities?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with ratings given for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 August 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 Peony Court
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 February 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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