CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Silver Birch Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, January 2022
Rated Good overall, but inspectors found weaknesses in quality checks covering confidentiality, fire evacuation records and medicines audits.
This was the home’s first comprehensive inspection since it registered. It was unannounced and took place on 7 December 2021. Inspectors spoke with people living there, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicines, risk and management records.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive were all rated Good. Inspectors found people were generally safe, treated kindly, involved in their care and supported according to their needs and preferences.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. Quality checks had not identified some problems, including unsecured personal information, missing fire evacuation plans for some short-stay admissions and discrepancies in some medicines stock records.
The provider acted quickly during and after the inspection to reduce the risks. Inspectors said these changes needed to become firmly established so the home could keep improving.
Personalised support
Care plans included people’s backgrounds, interests, preferences and abilities. Staff supported people to make choices and remain as independent as possible.
“People's care plans were detailed and person-centred, they promoted choice and guided staff on how to support people safely and encourage their independence.” from the report
Staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs safely. Recruitment checks, induction, training and competency checks were in place.
“The provider used robust recruitment checks and processes to ensure only staff suitable for the role were employed.” from the report
Infection prevention
Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable arrangements for preventing and managing infection, including PPE, testing, cleaning and visits.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Quality checks missed problems
needs fixingThe home’s monitoring systems did not identify all the problems inspectors found. The provider acted quickly, but the changes had not yet been shown to be fully established.
“Systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not robust” from the report
Fire evacuation records
seriousSome people admitted for short stays did not have a personal emergency evacuation plan. The provider took immediate action after inspectors raised this.
“not everyone in the home had a fire evacuation plan” from the report
Medicines stock records
seriousPeople received their medicines as prescribed, but stock levels did not match records for some people. Routine management audits had not found these discrepancies.
“we found discrepancies with the stock levels for some people's medicines which the monthly management audits had not identified” from the report
Confidential information
needs fixingSome people’s personal information was left unsecured at the first-floor nurse station. The management team acted after inspectors raised the issue.
“Some people's personal information was left unsecure on the first- floor nurse station.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to ensure every person, including short-stay admissions, has a personal emergency evacuation plan?
- 02How are medicines stock records now checked, and when was the most recent audit?
- 03What arrangements are in place to keep personal information secure at nurse stations and elsewhere?
- 04How will you show that the new quality monitoring systems are finding and correcting problems?
- 05What support and activities would be available for my relative’s particular interests, communication needs and level of independence?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and both the premises and the care provided; it was the home’s first comprehensive ratings inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 January 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, January 2021
Silver Birch Care Home: inspectors found good infection control practice, but the service was inspected and not rated.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 12 January 2021. The home was new and had been operating since December 2020. One person was living there at the time.
The inspection focused on infection prevention and control because the home was planned as a designated setting for people discharged from hospital with a positive Covid-19 status. Inspectors found arrangements for zoning, testing, personal protective equipment, cleaning, admissions and staff working areas.
The overall rating and the safe question were recorded as “Inspected but not rated”. The report says inspectors were assured that the home met good infection prevention and control guidelines.
Separate care areas
The home had a designated area and dedicated staff teams for people who had tested positive for Covid-19. This was intended to reduce the spread of infection.
“This meant that people had en suite bedrooms and facilities in a certain area of the service and were cared for by a dedicated staff team, which reduced the risk for the infection to spread.” from the report
PPE supplies and use
Inspectors saw enough masks and aprons, and staff were using them appropriately. PPE stations and special bins were available throughout the home.
“The provider ensured there were sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) including face masks and aprons and we saw staff use this appropriately.” from the report
Cleaning and testing
The home had cleaning schedules for frequently touched areas and arrangements for regular Covid-19 testing of residents and staff.
“Cleaning schedules including regular cleaning of touch point areas such as handrails and door handles were in place.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will people be kept in the designated area if they arrive from hospital with a positive Covid-19 status?
- 02How are staff allocated so they work only in their designated area?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested for Covid-19, and what happens after a positive result?
- 04Where are PPE stations located, and how do you make sure used PPE is disposed of safely?
- 05How often are touch points such as handrails and door handles cleaned?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, under the Safe question; the service was inspected but not rated and the other key questions were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 January 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 Silver Birch Care Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- January 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 October 2020.
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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23 live-in carers within about an hour of Suffolk
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Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 17 can care for a couple. 7 years' experience on average.
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