CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sandygate Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were assessed, medicines were given safely, and recruitment checks were carried out.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried over when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. The inspectors did observe staff interacting with people and described them as kind and caring.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. The report says people received person-centred care that met their needs.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had an open culture, approachable managers and systems for checking quality, using feedback and acting on concerns.
What inspectors found, February 2024
Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and well cared for, with minor cleaning issues and mixed views about staffing.
The unannounced inspection took place on 15 January 2024. One inspector and an Expert by Experience visited the home. They spoke with 4 people, 5 relatives and 6 staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors rated Safe and Well-led as Good. They found people were protected from abuse, risks were managed, medicines were given as prescribed, and there were enough suitable staff according to the provider's assessment.
Inspectors found kind and person-centred care. People were offered choices, their feedback was used, and the management team monitored the service. A couple of minor issues were put right during the visit, although some areas needed cleaning and people and relatives had mixed views about staffing.
Only Safe and Well-led were inspected at this visit. The other ratings were not reassessed and the overall rating used previous ratings where needed. The last inspection rating, on 28 September 2018, was Good.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns.
“People were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm.” from the report
Risks and medicines
Risks were identified and managed. Medicines were stored and recorded appropriately, including medicines given when needed.
“People were supported to receive their medicines safely.” from the report
Kind, person-centred care
Inspectors saw staff being kind, caring and offering choices. Care was based on people's preferences and needs.
“People received person centred care which met their needs.” from the report
Open management
The management team was described as approachable and used audits, feedback and action plans to improve the service.
“The provider had a clear management structure that monitored the quality of care to drive improvements in service delivery.” from the report
Some areas needed cleaning
minorInspectors found some areas that needed cleaning. The provider took action during the inspection and showed what had been done.
“However, some areas were in need of cleaning.” from the report
Mixed views about staffing
minorThe provider's assessment found enough staff, and inspectors saw timely responses. However, some people and relatives felt staffing levels were not always enough.
“We received mixed views from people and relatives; some felt there were not enough staff, whilst others told us staff responded promptly.” from the report
- 01How do you decide how many staff are needed, and how quickly would staffing increase if residents' needs changed?
- 02How do you check that all areas of the home are clean, and how do you make sure cleaning issues stay resolved?
- 03How are medicines given when needed, and how do you record that they were given in line with each person's needs?
- 04How are relatives' feedback and concerns discussed, and what changes have been made as a result?
- 05Which ratings were carried over from the previous inspection because Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected this time?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the other ratings were not inspected at this visit and were used from previous ratings when calculating the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 February 2024 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, February 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that Sandygate Residential Care Home had good infection prevention and control measures.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 16 February 2021. It focused on how the home was preventing and controlling COVID-19 infection.
Inspectors found arrangements for safer visiting, including a visiting pod, window visits and video calls. Visitors had their temperature checked and completed a health form. Staff used personal protective equipment, washed their hands and had infection control training.
The home was clean, high-touch areas were cleaned regularly, and staff and residents took part in testing. Inspectors were assured about the home's infection control arrangements, but the service was inspected and not rated.
Safer visiting
The home had several ways for relatives to stay in contact while reducing infection risks.
“The home also facilitated window visits, phone calls, skype, email and video calls, to ensure people were able to communicate with their family and friends.” from the report
Protective equipment and training
Staff used protective equipment and had completed relevant infection control and COVID-19 training.
“Staff wore appropriate PPE, regularly washed their hands and applied hand sanitiser.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean, with regular cleaning of areas people touched often.
“The home was clean and there were no malodours.” from the report
Testing and outbreak planning
Staff and residents took part in testing, and the home had arrangements for responding when someone tested positive.
“Appropriate actions were taken if anyone tested positive for COVID-19.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control measures are in place now, and when were they last reviewed?
- 02How are relatives currently able to visit or keep in contact with residents?
- 03How does the home manage testing and respond if a resident or staff member tests positive?
- 04How often are high-touch areas such as door handles and hand rails cleaned?
- 05What are the home's current CQC ratings for caring, effective, responsive and well-led care?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 February 2021 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 Sandygate Residential Care Home
6 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2024Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Sandygate Residential Care Home →
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Sandygate Residential Care Home →
- September 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvement
- February 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 June 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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