CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sandalwood Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed through visitor controls, testing, PPE, cleaning, zoning and outbreak procedures. The provider also had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control arrangements and measures to manage COVID-19 staffing pressures.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 24 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, and asked about staffing pressures linked to COVID-19.
Inspectors found safe arrangements for visitors, including booking, testing, vaccination checks, temperature checks and signing in. The home used isolation, zoning, enhanced cleaning, personal protective equipment and regular COVID-19 testing.
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks, admissions, visits, protective equipment and outbreaks appropriately. They also found that the infection-control policy was up to date and that vaccination requirements were being met.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a full quality rating for the home or a rated result for the Safe question.
Visitor safety
The home had several checks and controls for visitors, including rapid testing, vaccination evidence, temperature checks and signing in.
“Safe arrangements were in place for visitors to the service including relatives and friends, professionals and others.” from the report
Infection control
The home used isolation, zoning, enhanced cleaning and social-distancing measures to reduce the spread of infection.
“Isolation, cohorting and zoning were used to manage the risk of infection spread.” from the report
Protective equipment and testing
There was plenty of PPE, checks on hand hygiene and PPE use, and regular COVID-19 testing for staff and residents.
“There was plenty of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser available.” from the report
Management oversight
The registered manager carried out regular checks and kept infection-control policies and procedures up to date.
“The registered manager had good oversight of infection prevention and control processes.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitor booking, rapid testing, vaccination checks and signing-in arrangements working now?
- 02How would you manage a COVID-19 outbreak, including isolation, zoning and staffing?
- 03How often do staff and residents receive COVID-19 tests, and what happens after a positive result?
- 04How do you check that staff use PPE and wash their hands correctly?
- 05How do you cover staffing gaps, and how could this affect the care my relative receives?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but 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, October 2019
Sandalwood Court was rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 14 August 2019. They spoke with six people, three relatives, seven staff members and a visiting professional. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were treated with kindness and dignity, involved in decisions, supported to stay safe and given care that reflected their needs and preferences.
The overall rating had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection, published in September 2018. Responsive and Well-led improved to Good, while Safe, Effective and Caring remained Good.
Personalised care
Care plans were detailed and updated to reflect people's needs, choices and preferences. People and relatives were involved in planning care.
“Care plans were detailed and highly personalised. They were regularly reviewed and changes made as appropriate.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People said staff knew them well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported people to make choices and do things for themselves.
“People told us staff were kind and friendly.” from the report
Safe care systems
Inspectors found safe systems for medicines, safeguarding, risk management, recruitment and infection control. The home was clean and equipment was maintained.
“People's medicines were managed in a safe way.” from the report
Good activities and relationships
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives and take part in activities or hobbies if they wished. Staff also supported access to the community.
“People were included in all activities available within Sandalwood Court, this enabled people to take part in hobbies, pastimes and new experiences” from the report
Learning and improvement
Managers used audits, complaints, incidents and safeguarding information to make changes. Feedback from residents and relatives was also considered.
“The management team continually monitored the quality of the service, identifying issues and making changes to improve the care.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What has changed since the August 2019 inspection, particularly in staffing, management and care planning?
- 02How will you make sure my relative's care plan is updated when their needs, preferences or health change?
- 03How do you check that medicines are given on time and that medicine audits lead to action where needed?
- 04What activities are available, and how do you support people who prefer not to join group activities?
- 05How do you use feedback, complaints, incidents and safeguarding concerns to improve care?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that looked at the home, the care provided and all five CQC questions, following the previous Requires Improvement rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 October 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 Sandalwood Court
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 December 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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89 live-in carers within about an hour of North Northamptonshire
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 76 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“If you bump into her in the night on her way to the bathroom she will still inquire how you are and if everything is alright.”
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