CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Silvanna Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, May 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection on 20 April 2023. Three inspectors spoke with 11 people, one relative, nine staff members and a visiting healthcare professional. They also checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Caring and Well-led. Inspectors found that medicines were managed safely, staff had suitable checks and training, risks were assessed, and people were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. The home had systems to monitor quality and act on problems.
The previous inspection, published in June 2022, rated the service Requires Improvement. The home had been in breach of regulations about safe care and treatment, dignity and respect, and good governance. Inspectors found improvements had been made and the home was no longer in breach.
This inspection did not cover Effective or Responsive. The ratings for those areas were carried over from the previous inspection when calculating the overall Good rating.
Safe medicines support
Medicines records gave staff the information they needed. Staff were trained and checked as competent, and audits were used to deal with any problems.
“Medicine administration records provided staff with all the information they needed to support people safely with medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff speak gently, offer reassurance and treat people with dignity. People and relatives spoke positively about the care.
“Throughout the day we saw staff interacting with people in a kind and caring way.” from the report
Choices and activities
People were involved in decisions about their care and supported to remain independent. Staff helped people take part in personalised activities and trips into the community.
“People had made a wish list of things they would like to do and staff were working through facilitating these.” from the report
Improved management
A new management team had introduced stronger monitoring and action plans. Staff said they felt supported and could raise concerns.
“The registered manager had implemented robust quality monitoring systems.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are medicines checked now, and how do you make sure records and reviews remain up to date?
- 02How are risks such as falls, pressure sores, malnutrition and moving safely assessed and reviewed for my relative?
- 03How do you make sure my relative is involved in decisions about their care and that their dignity is protected?
- 04What activities, outings and one-to-one support would be available for my relative's interests and needs?
- 05What improvements from the previous inspection are still being monitored, and what results have the checks shown?
This was an unannounced follow-up inspection of Safe, Caring and Well-led; Effective and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 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, June 2022
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found risks with medicines, staffing, personal care and management oversight.
This was an unannounced focused inspection carried out over visits between 14 and 28 April 2022. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, reviewed care and medicines records, and observed care.
The home was not always safe. Some as-needed medicines were given routinely without enough records or checks. Risk assessments and incident records were incomplete. Inspectors also found that staffing levels sometimes delayed care and left areas unsupervised.
People were not always supported with personal care when they needed it, or in line with their preferences. Inspectors also found limited conversation and interaction in communal areas. The home’s checks and management systems had not identified the problems found.
The overall rating fell from Good in 2018 to Requires Improvement. The inspected questions, Safe, Caring and Well-led, were all rated Requires Improvement. Effective and Responsive were not inspected in this visit, so their earlier ratings were carried forward.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured about most infection prevention arrangements, including visits, testing, cleaning and outbreak planning. They were only somewhat assured about the safe use of protective equipment.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Safeguarding training
Staff had been trained to recognise and respond to possible abuse. The home was also working with the local safeguarding team.
“Staff were trained to recognise and respond to concerns of abuse.” from the report
Choice and involvement
Inspectors saw staff offering choices about food, drinks and activities. Some relatives said they had been involved in care planning.
“During the inspection we observed staff offering people choices when supporting people with food and drink or what they wanted to do.” from the report
Positive relationships
Some people and relatives described staff as kind, patient and compassionate. Feedback was mixed, but some families felt staff understood people’s needs well.
“They are compassionate and understanding.” from the report
Medicines and risk records
seriousSome as-needed medicines were given regularly without clear reasons, protocols or records of their effect. Risk assessments and monitoring records were also incomplete.
“People were not always receiving their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Staffing levels
seriousPeople, relatives and staff reported delays in answering call bells and providing personal care. Inspectors found one communal area unsupervised and had to ask staff to answer a buzzer.
“Insufficient staff were available which placed people at risk of harm and delayed care.” from the report
Personal care and dignity
seriousSome people did not receive baths, showers or continence care as they wanted or when needed. This affected their dignity and was linked to staffing pressures.
“People's privacy and dignity was not always considered, and their preferences respected.” from the report
Weak management checks
seriousThe home’s audits and development plan did not reliably identify or address the problems inspectors found. Incident analysis also missed important information.
“The provider did not have robust processes in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.” from the report
Limited social interaction
needs fixingInspectors saw staff supervising people in communal areas but having little sustained conversation. Staff said they often did not have time to sit and chat.
“Interaction between staff and people who used the service was task-orientated” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to ensure as-needed medicines are only given for a clear reason and that their effects are recorded?
- 02How many staff are on each floor at different times, and how are call bells and unsupervised areas monitored?
- 03How will you make sure people receive baths, showers, toileting and continence care according to their preferences and needs?
- 04What has changed in the audits of medicines, falls, incidents, risk assessments and care records?
- 05Has the new manager now registered with CQC, and what progress has been made against the required action plan?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Caring and Well-led, with infection control also checked; Effective and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 June 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 Silvanna Court
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2022Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodCaring: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 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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Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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