CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 512-514 Stratford Road
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 managed safely, staff were recruited safely and infection control arrangements were in place.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had completed training for people's specific needs, including autism and swallowing difficulties. People were supported with food, drink, healthcare and decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- The atmosphere was warm and friendly. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity, promoted independence and supported people to make daily choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care records described people's preferences, routines and goals. People were supported with communication, activities, cultural and religious wishes, family relationships and end of life care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers had a clear view of people's care and used checks to monitor quality and safety. People, relatives and staff were listened to, and the report says the improved person-centred culture had been sustained.
What inspectors found, May 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with major improvements since the previous Inadequate rating.
The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people who have learning disabilities or are autistic. Six people lived there during the inspection. One inspector visited on 14 and 17 April 2023, with the first visit unannounced.
The inspector spoke with people, a relative, staff and managers. They observed care and reviewed care plans, medicines records, recruitment files and quality checks. They found that people were safe, treated with kindness and supported to make choices. Staff knew people well and supported their health, communication, activities and relationships.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspector found that care was consistently meeting the required standard at the time of the inspection. The home had previously been rated Inadequate in August 2022, but the report says the improvements had been maintained.
Personalised support
Staff knew people well and provided care based on their needs, wishes and preferred routines. Care records were detailed and reviewed each month.
“People received personalised and responsive care and support in line with their needs and wishes.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw warm relationships between people and staff. People's dignity, privacy and independence were respected.
“The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and people and staff chose to spend time together during our visits.” from the report
Safe care and medicines
Risks were assessed and staff knew how to respond to them. Staff were trained to give medicines, and checks were used to identify and address errors.
“People's medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely.” from the report
Improved leadership
The report says the home had made significant improvements over the previous eight months. Management checks and a positive, person-centred culture were embedded in practice.
“The improvements made over the last 8 months had been sustained.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you making sure the improvements made since the Inadequate rating continue if managers or staff change?
- 02Can you show us the current personal emergency evacuation plan and explain what support our relative would receive in a fire?
- 03How many permanent staff usually work here, and how often are agency staff used now?
- 04How would you support our relative if their health changed, including if they needed end of life care?
- 05How are our relative's communication preferences, cultural wishes and daily choices recorded and reviewed?
This inspection assessed all five key questions, including infection prevention and control and how the home applied the principles of right support, right care and right culture. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 May 2023 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, December 2022
Inspected but not rated; the previous overall rating remains Inadequate, although inspectors found important improvements and no current breaches.
This was an unannounced targeted inspection on 14 November 2022. Two inspectors spoke with people living at the home, a relative and staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records and management records.
The inspection checked whether earlier Warning Notices had been met. Inspectors found improvements in safety, medicines, dignity, choice, personalised care, cleanliness and management systems. The home was no longer in breach of the four regulations checked.
The home was not given new ratings. This was because a targeted inspection only looks at specific concerns, not the whole service. The previous overall rating was Inadequate and remains Inadequate until a full inspection reviews the service.
Safer care
Risks linked to people's care, the environment and medicines had been reviewed and better recorded. Inspectors also saw a person being supported to eat safely.
“Action had been taken since our last inspection to improve safety.” from the report
Medicines
A new electronic medicines system, staff training and competency checks had improved the way medicines were given and recorded.
“Medicine administration records showed people had received their medicines including medicated shampoos and ointments as prescribed.” from the report
Respect and choice
People were supported to make decisions about their care, what they drank and how they spent their time. Privacy and independence had also improved.
“Staff encouraged people to make decisions including choosing what they wanted to drink and how they spent their time during our visit.” from the report
Personalised support
People had helped write and agree their care plans. Inspectors saw support for meaningful goals, including education and social activities.
“People told us they received personalised care and they had more control over their lives.” from the report
Improved oversight
Audits, management visits and independent checks had been introduced or increased to monitor care and safety.
“Governance systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service had been strengthened.” from the report
Improvements need to last
needs fixingInspectors found progress but said the provider needed more time to show that the changes were firmly established and would continue.
“Whilst improvements had been made the provider needs more time to demonstrate the improvements made can be sustained over time to assure themselves, they are embedded into practice.” from the report
Previous Inadequate rating remains
seriousBecause this was a targeted inspection, the earlier overall Inadequate rating was not changed. A full inspection is still needed to assess the whole service.
“The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains inadequate.” from the report
No registered manager
minorThere was no registered manager in post when inspectors visited. The report does not say when this would be resolved.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01What evidence can you show that the improvements found in November 2022 have been sustained?
- 02How are risks for each person reviewed and updated now?
- 03How do you check that medicines, creams and electronic medicines records remain accurate?
- 04Who is responsible for managing the home while there is no registered manager?
- 05When will the whole service next be assessed in a comprehensive inspection?
This was a targeted inspection of specific concerns linked to four Warning Notices and infection prevention and control; it did not assess the full key questions, so the previous ratings were not changed. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 December 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.
Every inspection of 512-514 Stratford Road
5 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedCaring: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- October 2022Inadequatedown from GoodSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: InadequateResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 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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