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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Spinney (The)

Goodpublished 3 October 2019, 7 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors were assured about infection prevention, visitor controls, COVID-19 testing, social distancing, admissions, protective equipment and hygiene.
Effective?
Good
This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Caring?
Good
This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Responsive?
Good
This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Well-led?
Good
This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, August 2020

Spinney (The): Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspectors visited on 14 August 2020. The visit was announced and focused only on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.

They found good practice in visitor checks, COVID-19 testing, use of protective equipment, staff training and social distancing. People were also supported to keep in touch with relatives and friends.

The home was marked 'Inspected but not rated'. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or assess all five areas of care.

What inspectors praised
  • Visitor infection checks

    Visitors had their temperature checked and were supported to wear face coverings. Handwashing and hand sanitiser were available.

    “All visitors were required to have their temperature taken before they entered the care home.” from the report
  • COVID-19 testing

    The home had a designated team to test residents and staff in line with government guidance.

    “There was a designated team that administered the tests for people using the service and for staff.” from the report
  • Staff infection control

    Staff had training in infection control and protective equipment. Working on the same floors was intended to reduce cross-infection.

    “All staff had received training on infection control and the use of PPE.” from the report
  • Keeping families connected

    People could have socially distanced visits in a garden area or keep in touch by phone and video messaging.

    “People were supported to have visits from their relatives and friends in a designated area in the garden where social distancing was observed.” from the report
  • Support during lockdown

    People at particular risk or isolating were offered extra activities, including through an additional activities coordinator.

    “People at extreme risk and those isolating were supported in creative ways” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now?
  2. 02How are visitors currently checked and supported to use protective equipment?
  3. 03How are residents and staff tested for infections now?
  4. 04How do staff maintain contact between residents and their families when visits are restricted?
  5. 05What are the home's current ratings for Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures only; the service was inspected but not rated overall and the other care areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 August 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, October 2019

Spinney (The) was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with a few records and medicines checks needing attention.

This was an unannounced inspection on 17 September 2019. Inspectors spoke with four people, five relatives and 13 staff. They observed care, reviewed six care records, medicines records, six staff recruitment files and management records.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were treated with dignity, involved in their care and supported by trained staff. They also found that risks, medicines, food, activities, healthcare and complaints were generally managed well.

There were some issues to address. One medicines competency check was overdue, one person at risk of choking did not have up-to-date specialist guidance, and accident records did not show lessons learned. The home remained Good overall, and the previous inspection had also been rated Good.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors found staff knew people well and treated them as individuals. Privacy, dignity and personal choices were respected.

    “People were supported by kind and caring staff who treated people as individuals and with dignity and respect.” from the report
  • Good safeguarding and staffing

    Staff understood how to report abuse and risks were assessed and reviewed. People, relatives and staff generally felt there were enough staff.

    “The provider had robust recruitment systems to ensure staff were safely recruited.” from the report
  • Personalised support

    Care plans included people's histories, likes, dislikes and preferred routines. People and relatives were involved in planning and reviews.

    “People had person centred support plans in place. They were actively involved in their care and contributed to the development of care plans and reviews.” from the report
  • Activities and relationships

    The home offered varied activities and supported people to go into the community. It also helped people keep in touch with family and friends.

    “People engaged in a wide range of activities in the home and in the local community.” from the report
  • Strong management oversight

    The home used regular audits, meetings, surveys and action plans to monitor care and respond to feedback.

    “The provider had effective systems and processes in place to enable the registered manager to have oversight of the management of the regulated activity.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Overdue medicines competency check

    needs fixing

    One senior care worker's medicines competency assessment was overdue. The manager completed the assessment on the inspection day.

    “However, we found one senior care worker's medicines competency assessment were overdue.” from the report
  • Out-of-date choking guidance

    serious

    One person at risk of choking did not have current specialist swallowing guidance. The home made a new referral and requested swallowing training for all staff.

    “However, we found one person who was a risk of choking did not have up to date guidance available from the speech and language therapist (SALT).” from the report
  • Limited learning from incidents

    needs fixing

    Accident and incident records showed what had happened but did not record lessons learned. The manager said this would be reviewed.

    “Accident and incidents records did not show lessons learnt when things went wrong.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you make sure every staff member's medicines competency assessment is current?
  2. 02What is now in place for people at risk of choking, including current speech and language therapist guidance?
  3. 03What dysphagia, or swallowing, training have staff received since the inspection?
  4. 04How do you record and share lessons learned after accidents and incidents?
  5. 05How are families involved in care plan reviews and decisions about activities and end of life wishes?

This was an unannounced inspection of the care, premises and management of the home, covering all five CQC questions; all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 October 2019 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Spinney (The)

4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. August 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent rating
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Spinney (The) →

  2. October 2019Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Spinney (The) →

  3. March 2018Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. March 2017Goodstayed Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. May 2015Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. February 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. December 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. October 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 October 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.

Next steps

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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Waltham Forest

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Most charge £980 to £1,200 a week. 77 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.

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