CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 70 Castleton Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing infections, using protective equipment safely, managing outbreaks and following its infection-control policy. They also found the home clean and said staffing pressures were being managed.
- 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
SENSE - 70 Castleton Road was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection-control arrangements, with guidance needed for an unused disinfecting machine.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 23 February 2022. It looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether staffing pressures affected people.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, managing infections, testing people and staff, and keeping its policy up to date. The home was clean, had handwashing points and hand gel, and used cleaning rotas.
Visitors had to give two days' notice, show vaccination status and take a lateral flow test. People could have three named visitors, and staff helped people keep in touch with family and friends by video calls.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide a full rating for the five areas of care.
Infection control
Visitors were screened before entering, and the home had handwashing facilities, hand gel and cleaning rotas.
“Visitors underwent a thorough pre-screening process before entering the care home which included direction to handwashing facilities.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean and without unpleasant smells.
“The home was clean and free from malodour. There were several handwashing places and hand gel was available.” from the report
Staffing
The service said it was fully staffed at the inspection. Extra staff had been used during the pandemic to cover gaps.
“The service did not currently have any workforce challenges. They were fully staffed.” from the report
Keeping families connected
People could keep in touch with family and friends through video calls arranged with staff, including when families chose not to visit.
“People were also able to maintain contact with family and friends through video calls facilitated by staff.” from the report
Safe use of disinfecting machine
minorThe service had bought a disinfecting machine, but it had not been used since January 2021. Inspectors sent guidance so the service could make sure it was used safely.
“We sent the service a link to government guidance to ensure they knew how to use this machine safely.” from the report
- 01What steps did you take after the inspection to make sure the disinfecting machine was used safely?
- 02Is the disinfecting machine currently used, and if so, what training and safety checks are in place?
- 03What are the current arrangements for visiting, including notice, testing and the number of named visitors?
- 04How do you cover staff absences now, and what happens if there are staffing pressures?
- 05How do you help people keep in touch with family and friends if visits cannot take place?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 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, August 2018
SENSE - 70 Castleton Road was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a fire alarm problem being managed.
Inspectors visited on 18 and 26 June 2018 without warning. They spoke with staff and relatives, observed care, and checked care plans, risk assessments, medicines, recruitment, training and management records.
The home supported five people with learning disabilities and sensory impairments. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, detailed risk assessments and staff who understood safeguarding. People received personalised care, suitable food, health support and a range of activities.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This was the same overall rating as at the previous inspection in April 2016.
Detailed risk planning
The home assessed risks linked to people's health, behaviour, mobility, medicines, activities and emergencies. Staff used these assessments to reduce the risk of harm.
“People had various detailed risk assessments carried out so that measures could be put in place to keep them safe at home and in the community.” from the report
Skilled and supported staff
Staff had relevant training for the needs of the people living in the home. They also received induction, supervision and appraisals.
“Staff also received specialist training in topics including deaf and blind awareness, dysphagia (swallowing problems) and positive behaviour support.” from the report
Personalised communication
The home adapted information and communication to people's sensory and communication needs. It used easy-read material, pictures, sounds and other individual methods.
“There were picture boards throughout the home, one with staff photos so that people could see who was working with them that day” from the report
Respectful, individual care
Inspectors saw a calm home where people were not rushed. Staff supported people's choices, privacy, dignity and independence.
“There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the home. People were not rushed and were supported by staff at a pace that suited them.” from the report
Future end of life planning
minorNobody was receiving end of life care during the inspection. The home recognised that people's health could change and was seeking advice on how to develop suitable plans.
“The registered manager said the service was seeking advice on the best way to implement end of life care plans that would be in people's best interest.” from the report
Making records meaningful
needs fixingAn audit found that staff record keeping needed improvement. The planned change was to record information in a way people living in the home could understand.
“The action around this was that recording was to be done in a way people using the service could understand rather than simply for staff to benefit.” from the report
- 01Has the faulty fire panel been replaced, and do all upstairs doors now close correctly when the alarm sounds?
- 02How will you involve my relative and family in future end of life planning if their health needs change?
- 03How do you make sure care records are understandable and meaningful to the people living here?
- 04How will you support my relative's individual communication needs, including sensory impairment?
- 05How often will you review my relative's personalised care plan and risk assessments?
This was an unannounced inspection of the whole service, including the premises and care, and it assessed all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 August 2018 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 70 Castleton Road
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 November 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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