CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at South Park Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe, risks were assessed and reviewed, and staff were recruited safely. Medicines, infection control and fire safety were managed effectively.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had suitable training and support. People's health, dietary needs and choices were assessed, and staff worked with health professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, patient and respectful. People were involved in decisions where possible and supported to maintain their independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was person-centred and activities supported relationships and interests. Some care plans needed additional information, although complaints and end of life care were managed well.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The management team promoted person-centred care and used quality checks and action plans to make improvements. Staff, people and relatives were involved in the service.
What inspectors found, December 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with some refurbishment and care plan updates still needed.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 15 and 16 November 2022. One inspector spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a visiting health professional. They also reviewed care records, medicine records, staff files and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were happy and safe, medicines were managed well, staff were trained, and care was kind and respectful.
Activities had recently been improved, complaints were handled properly, and end of life care was described as compassionate. Inspectors also found that some areas needed refurbishment and some care plans needed more information.
Safe medicines and care
Inspectors found that people received medicines as prescribed and that risks were reviewed regularly.
“People received their medicines as prescribed. Medicines were stored, recorded and administered safely.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff knew people well and supported their choices, dignity and independence.
“People were cared for and supported by staff that were kind, patient and respectful.” from the report
Meaningful activities
The home had introduced an interactive activity resource, particularly supporting people living with dementia to build friendships and stay engaged.
“The service had an exemplary approach to finding activities that were not just fun, but also helped people to improve confidence, develop relationships and maintain culture and self-identity” from the report
Strong management checks
The home used regular quality checks, action plans and lessons from incidents to support improvement.
“Governance systems drove improvements in the quality of the service.” from the report
Some areas need refurbishment
minorInspectors noted that parts of the home needed refurbishment. The provider and manager had already identified this through their quality checks.
“Some areas of the service required refurbishing. This had already been identified by the provider and registered manager through their quality assurance systems.” from the report
Some care plans needed more detail
minorMost care planning was person-centred, but some records did not fully capture all the information needed about a person.
“Some care plans required additional information to ensure a person-centred information was fully captured.” from the report
- 01Which areas of the home need refurbishment, and what is the timetable for completing this work?
- 02How do you check that each person's care plan contains all the information staff need?
- 03How are relatives involved in reviewing care plans and decisions about care?
- 04What activities are available for someone living with dementia, and how are their interests reflected?
- 05How will you tell families about any changes or improvements identified through quality checks?
This was the first comprehensive inspection under the newly registered provider; Safe and Well-led had been rated Good previously, while Effective, Caring and Responsive were reviewed under the new provider. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 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.
What inspectors found, December 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe care and strong management, but relatives had experienced communication problems.
This was a focused inspection on 28 October 2020. Inspectors looked at whether the home was safe and well-led, including its infection control arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were managed, medicines were given safely, staff were trained and there were enough staff at the visit. They were also assured about the home's use of protective equipment, testing, hygiene and infection control.
Relatives gave mixed feedback about communication. The home had installed extra phone lines and introduced new systems after the inspection, but inspectors said it should check that these changes work well. The other three areas were not inspected during this visit, so their ratings came from an earlier comprehensive inspection.
Safe medicines
Medicines were given as prescribed. Staff who supported people with medicines were trained and had regular competency checks.
“Records showed people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable arrangements for preventing and managing infection, including safe use of protective equipment and access to testing.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Risk and staffing
People's risks were assessed and reviewed. Inspectors saw staff respond promptly, and found enough staff to meet people's needs.
“There were enough staff to support people and meet their needs.” from the report
Learning and improvement
The home monitored accidents and incidents, used findings to make improvements and had systems to check the quality of care.
“Accidents and incidents were monitored and analysed.” from the report
Communication with relatives
needs fixingRelatives gave mixed feedback. The phone system had made it difficult to contact the home, and some relatives did not feel they had meaningful discussions when needed. Inspectors asked the home to monitor whether its new communication systems remain effective.
“Telephone systems did not support relatives to contact the service easily. Some relatives were frustrated about not having meaningful discussions when needed.” from the report
- 01How are the additional phone lines working now, and how quickly can relatives usually contact the home?
- 02How will you make sure relatives receive regular, meaningful updates about their family member?
- 03How do you check that staff remain competent to give medicines safely?
- 04How are infection control, PPE and testing arrangements kept up to date?
- 05What feedback do you now collect from relatives about communication and engagement?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection control; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their ratings carried over from an earlier comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 2020 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 South Park Care Home
7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- December 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2020GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- November 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2015Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 May 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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