What the CQC found at Ridgewell House

Staff had safeguarding training and could explain how to recognise abuse and protect people from harm.

“Staff had received safeguarding training and were able to tell us about the different types of abuse” from the report

The report found that the home followed mental capacity principles and used least restrictive approaches, with the required legal authorisations in place where needed.

“The service was working within the principles of the MCA and if needed, appropriate legal authorisations were in place” from the report

The new manager acknowledged the shortfalls and acted after the inspection by providing an updated improvement plan and making some changes.

“Following the inspection, the manager responded promptly to the concerns raised, confirming what actions they planned to take” from the report

Relatives gave positive feedback about communication, including being kept informed by telephone.

“Communication is good I cannot fault them – they always phone me, I feel they are open and transparent.” from the report

Some medicines documentation was incomplete or out of date. An as-required medicine had been given through homely remedies for an extended period after its prescription had run out.

“medicines care plans provided information that was inconsistent and not always completed, such as specific allergies were not documented.” from the report

Care plans and risk assessments were not always reviewed after people's needs changed. This meant records did not always give staff enough information for safe care.

“Care plans did not always give staff the information they needed to provide safe care.” from the report

The home did not have enough permanent staff and relied on agency workers. Recruitment files also had gaps in references and explanations for gaps in employment.

“The service did not have enough permanent staff and relied on agency workers to meet the staffing levels required.” from the report

Audits failed to identify several issues found by inspectors. Some improvement actions, including garden safety work, had remained unresolved for a long time.

“Though audits were in place, they needed to be used more effectively, as they failed to pick up the issues identified as part of this inspection” from the report

Inspectors saw some staff wearing personal protective equipment incorrectly. The infection control policy had not always been updated to reflect current guidance.

“However, during our inspection we observed staff wearing PPE incorrectly.” from the report