CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Rowan House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective safeguarding, risk management, emergency procedures and medicines systems. There were enough staff on duty, although the home had recently experienced high staff turnover.
- Effective?
- Good
- People had detailed and regularly reviewed care plans, relevant staff training and access to healthcare. Inspectors found that staff sought consent and followed mental capacity requirements.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were observed treating people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were encouraged to make choices, maintain independence and stay connected with family and friends.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised around people's needs, preferences, communication and interests. People used local facilities and took part in activities, and complaints were reported to be dealt with quickly.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective leadership, clear staffing roles and quality checks that were used to make improvements. Staff said they felt supported and the manager was approachable.
What inspectors found, January 2020
Rowan House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some recent staff turnover and planned redecoration.
The inspection took place without notice on 10 December 2019. One inspector observed care and staff interactions, spoke with the manager and staff, reviewed two people's care and medicine records, and received feedback from a relative afterwards.
The home supported six younger adults with learning disabilities or autism. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with kindness and dignity, supported to make choices, and helped to develop independence. People also took part in hobbies and activities in the home and community.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The overall rating stayed Good, the same as the previous inspection published on 28 June 2017.
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, have control over their lives and build independence. Staff used the least restrictive approach and worked in people's best interests.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors observed caring interactions. Staff understood people's communication, preferences and need for privacy and dignity.
“Staff were kind, caring and promoted people's dignity.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's routines, preferences, communication needs, interests and cultural wishes. They were reviewed when needs changed.
“People received personalised care and support specific to their needs and preferences.” from the report
Activities and community life
People accessed local community, health and leisure facilities and took part in activities that reflected their interests.
“On the day of our inspection we saw people going out to participate in activities.” from the report
Quality oversight
The manager used audits, care plan reviews and incident information to improve care. Records were described as organised and up to date.
“Information from the quality assurance system, care plan reviews and incidents were used to inform changes and improvements to the quality of care people received.” from the report
Recent staff turnover
minorThe home had experienced a high turnover of staff. Inspectors said recruitment and retention initiatives had led to more staff being recruited, but families may want to check how stable the current team is.
“The service had experienced a high turn over of staff recently but had implemented initiatives to help with recruitment and retention of staff.” from the report
Planned redecoration
minorSome parts of the home needed modernisation and redecoration. Work was being prepared with input from people where possible.
“Some areas of the service were due for redecoration and modernisation.” from the report
- 01How has staff turnover changed since the inspection, and how many regular staff currently work at the home?
- 02What redecoration and modernisation work has been completed, and what remains outstanding?
- 03How will you make sure new staff understand each person's communication needs, routines and preferences?
- 04How are people involved in decisions about their care, activities and any changes to the home?
- 05How are medicines that are prescribed as needed assessed and reviewed?
This was a planned, unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, and it looked at both the accommodation and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 January 2020 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, June 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements made since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection. The inspector observed care and support, including meals and activities, and looked around the home. They spoke with staff, relatives and a health professional, and reviewed care records, staff files, training records and quality checks.
The home supports up to six people with learning disabilities or mental health support needs. All six places were occupied. Inspectors found Good ratings in all five areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The previous inspection in April 2016 found breaches about the outdoor areas and quality monitoring. At this inspection, the outdoor areas had been improved and stronger quality checks were in place. The report says the legal requirements were now being met.
Personalised communication
Staff understood how people communicated without words and responded to gestures, body language and familiar signs.
“Staff interacted with people in a kind and caring manner and they took the time to listen to the gestures people made and responded in a way that the person understood.” from the report
Choice and independence
People could choose when to get up, what to do, what to eat and where to eat. Staff supported individual interests and community activities.
“People were given a choice of what activity they wanted to get involved in.” from the report
Staff training
Staff received a structured induction, ongoing training, supervision and appraisals. Training included behaviour support and the Care Certificate.
“Staff told us that when they started work they had received a good induction and were encouraged to continue on to higher-level training courses.” from the report
Improvements since 2016
The home improved wheelchair access and the garden, and introduced stronger systems to monitor quality and safety.
“At this inspection we found that improvement had been made in all areas.” from the report
Safe medicines practice
Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely. Staff competency was checked and monthly audits were completed.
“Medicine Administration Records (MARs) were completed appropriately and information about identified allergies, and people's preferences on how their medicine should be taken was included.” from the report
Education alternatives
minorSome training courses attended by people had stopped. The home was working with relatives to find alternative solutions.
“The registered manager explained that a number of these training courses had been stopped and that they were working with relatives to find alternative solutions.” from the report
- 01How do you review staffing levels when a person's needs change?
- 02What alternative education or training opportunities are now available since some courses stopped?
- 03How are relatives involved in reviewing and updating care plans?
- 04What quality checks are carried out, and how do you make sure agreed improvements are completed?
- 05How do you support people to choose activities, meals and daily routines in ways they can understand?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions and checking whether previous legal breaches had been remedied. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 June 2017 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 Rowan House
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
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. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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