CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ridgecourt Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- The service was safe overall in the areas inspected. Inspectors were assured about most infection control measures, but only somewhat assured about the layout and hygiene practices of the premises.
- Effective?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found mostly good infection control and visiting arrangements, but cleaning records were not always complete.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 27 January 2022. It focused on infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected care.
The home had enough protective equipment, supported staff to follow guidance, and had plans to reduce infection risks. Inspectors found the premises clean, tidy and free from odours. Visiting was arranged around people's needs and visitors' circumstances.
Inspectors were assured about most infection control measures. They were only somewhat assured about safety linked to the layout and hygiene practices of the premises. Cleaning records were not always completed or reviewed, and the provider was signposted to further resources.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not give an overall quality rating or ratings for the five key questions.
Protective equipment and guidance
The home had sufficient protective equipment and supported staff to follow current government guidance.
“There were sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment and staff were supported to follow current UK Government guidance.” from the report
Planning for outbreaks
The home had made practical preparations to reduce the spread of infection if an outbreak occurred.
“Consideration had been given to creative ways of minimising the spread of infection should an outbreak occur.” from the report
Support for visits
Visits were arranged around people's individual needs and visitors' circumstances. Families were supported to keep in contact throughout the pandemic.
“Visiting arrangements were assessed on an individual basis and took account of the person's individual needs and the visitors' personal circumstances.” from the report
Clean premises
Inspectors found the premises clean, tidy and free from odours.
“We observed that the premises was clean, tidy and odour free.” from the report
Cleaning records
minorRecords of cleaning were not always completed or reviewed. Inspectors signposted the provider to resources to improve its approach.
“Cleaning records were not always completed or reviewed.” from the report
- 01How are cleaning records completed and checked now?
- 02What changes have been made to the layout and hygiene practices since the inspection?
- 03How will you manage staffing pressures if staff are absent because of COVID-19?
- 04How are visits arranged for people with different needs and for their visitors?
- 05What infection control training does the infection prevention and control champion provide to staff?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 staffing pressures; it did not rate the other key questions or the service overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 February 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, March 2019
Ridgecourt Residential Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, but some care records and risks still needed improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection over two days. Inspectors spoke with all 14 residents, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They reviewed care records, medicines, staff files, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe, well cared for and treated with kindness and respect. Medicines were managed safely, staffing was enough to meet needs, and staff had suitable training.
The home had improved since the previous inspection, which was rated Requires Improvement. Inspectors still found that some care plans and risk records did not fully reflect what staff knew and did. They also identified concerns about night staffing, hot water temperatures, some seating, activities and the recording of capacity decisions.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff being kind, caring and friendly. People and relatives spoke very positively about how they were treated.
“Our observations showed staff were kind, caring and friendly. Staff respected what was important to people.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were administered by trained and assessed staff. Storage, receipt and disposal arrangements were also safe.
“Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Good healthcare support
People's healthcare needs were met and referrals were made when needed. Healthcare professionals gave very positive feedback.
“They described the care provided at the home as "very good" and "excellent".” from the report
Safe recruitment and training
The home completed suitable checks before staff started work. Staff received induction, training and support for their roles.
“Recruitment practices were safe with suitable pre-employment checks carried out prior to the commencement of employment.” from the report
Some hot water was too hot
seriousHot water in some bedrooms was above the temperature recommended by the Health and Safety Executive. It had not been individually risk assessed, although nobody had been harmed.
“However, the temperature of the hot water to some bedrooms was not controlled and was over 44 degrees centigrade, the temperature recommended by the Health and Safety Executive.” from the report
Night staffing was questioned
needs fixingInspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, but some people wanted more staff overnight. The manager said this would be reviewed with the provider.
“However, some people thought the staffing at night should be increased from the one waking and one sleeping-in member of staff currently on duty” from the report
Some activities were limited
minorThere were planned group activities, but some people wanted more social activities and more regular opportunities to attend church.
“Some people told us they would like more social activities and to be able to attend church more regularly.” from the report
Some capacity decisions were not fully recorded
needs fixingStaff gained consent during care interactions and made best-interest decisions when needed. However, records did not always show who had taken part in the decision-making process.
“However, the decision-making process had not always been recorded in a way that demonstrated who had been involved in the capacity assessment and subsequent best interest decision.” from the report
- 01Have you updated the care plans so they fully record each person's needs, preferences and risk support?
- 02What action has been taken to control hot water temperatures in the affected bedrooms?
- 03Has the number of staff working overnight been reviewed since the inspection?
- 04What extra social activities and church opportunities are now available?
- 05How do you record who was involved in capacity assessments and best-interest decisions?
This was an unannounced inspection that assessed all five key questions and provided an overall rating for the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 March 2019 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 Ridgecourt Residential Care Home
3 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Ridgecourt Residential Care Home →
- March 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Ridgecourt Residential Care Home →
- March 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 27 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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