CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Ridgegate Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control and visiting arrangements, with regular use of agency staff because of vacancies.
This was a short-notice, targeted inspection on 28 February 2022. It looked mainly at infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures.
Inspectors found enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. The home used agency staff regularly because of care staff vacancies, but the manager said these staff worked only at this home.
The home had systems for testing, vaccinations, isolation, cleaning, personal protective equipment and safe visits. Inspectors were assured that these arrangements were in place and working.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit does not provide a new overall quality rating or ratings for all five areas of care.
Infection control
The home had PPE stations, regular infection control audits and extra cleaning staff. Staff had training in using PPE.
“The premises were clean and hygienic. Additional cleaning staff had been recruited since the advent of the pandemic and standards of infection prevention and control (IPC) were audited regularly.” from the report
Safe visiting
The home used screening, testing and planned visits. It had also created a separate visiting pod during the pandemic.
“The registered provider had converted the garden room within the premises to create a dedicated visiting pod.” from the report
Contact with relatives
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives through visits, video calls and telephone calls.
“The registered manager had also ensured people continued to maintain contact with their relatives through the use of video and telephone calls.” from the report
Staff support
Staff said they felt supported by management and had enough PPE. They also said they worked together to help keep people safe from infection.
“Staff told us they felt supported and could speak with management at any time if they were concerned about COVID-19.” from the report
Care staff vacancies
minorThere were care staff vacancies, so agency staff were used regularly. The manager said these agency staff worked only at this home, which helped them get to know people and reduced the risk of cross-contamination.
“There were vacancies for care staff at the time of our inspection, which meant agency staff were used regularly.” from the report
- 01How many care staff vacancies are there now, and how often are agency staff being used?
- 02Do agency staff still work only at this home, and how are they introduced to each person's needs?
- 03What infection prevention and control arrangements from the report are still in place?
- 04How are visits arranged now, and is the dedicated visiting pod still available?
- 05How does the home support people who cannot have an in-person visit to keep in touch with relatives?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 March 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 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, but staff induction, staffing consistency and care plans needed attention.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 5 November 2018. Two inspectors and an expert by experience spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and a health care professional. They also checked care records, medicines, staff files, training and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that medicines were managed safely, people were treated kindly, risks were assessed and the home was clean. People had food and drink choices, access to health care and activities.
There were some areas to improve. One staff member worked alone before completing the expected induction. Staffing had been unsettled, and some people had less conversation with staff. Care plans were being updated because they were not always person-centred or fully up to date.
The previous inspection in October 2017 rated the home Requires Improvement because of medicines, consent and management systems. Inspectors said the action plan had been followed and those earlier shortfalls had been addressed.
Medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were stored, recorded and checked properly. They found no gaps in the records they reviewed.
“People's medicine administration records (MARs) were completed in line with best practice and there were no gaps which showed that people had received their medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness and dignity. Staff supported people to make choices and keep their independence.
“People were seen being cared for by staff who showed a kind and attentive approach.” from the report
Food and health support
People had choices of meals and their dietary needs were recognised. Staff helped people access health professionals when needed.
“People's individual dietary requirements were recognised and respected by staff.” from the report
Improved management
The report says that weaknesses in governance found in 2017 had been addressed. The home used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor care.
“At our inspection in October 2017 we found a lack of robust governance arrangements at the service. We found this had been addressed at this inspection.” from the report
Staff induction
needs fixingOne staff member worked independently despite being expected to shadow others and having had no training. Inspectors said the impact was low in this case, but recommended stronger induction and supervision.
“We recommend the registered provider ensures staff undergo robust induction and training before working independently and staff always have the opportunity to meet on a one to one basis with their line manager.” from the report
Staffing consistency
needs fixingThe home had experienced staff departures and used agency staff. Inspectors noticed there were sometimes fewer staff in the lounge, which reduced conversation and interaction.
“We can't be with them (people) a lot of the time. People miss that. They miss the interaction.” from the report
Care plans
needs fixingCare plans did not always give staff enough person-centred and current information. The manager had started reviewing them, and inspectors recommended continuing this work.
“We recommend the registered provider continues the work in relation to updating people's care plans to ensure they are person-centred and contemporaneous.” from the report
Staff knowledge
needs fixingSome staff could not explain one person's health condition or interests, despite saying they read the care plans. This could make personalised care harder, particularly when agency staff were being used.
“People's care plans covered all aspects of their care, however we did not always find staff were aware of people's health conditions.” from the report
- 01How many permanent staff are now in place, and how often are agency staff used?
- 02How do you make sure new staff complete induction and training before working independently?
- 03How are care plans checked and updated when a person's health, interests or needs change?
- 04How do staff learn about each person's health conditions, hobbies and preferred routines?
- 05How do you make sure people in shared areas receive enough conversation and social interaction?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, based on discussions, observations and checks of care, staffing, medicines and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 November 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 Ridgegate Home
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 November 2010.
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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