CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Spring Gardens
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed, staffing was sufficient and the home was clean. Medicines were generally managed safely, but there had been problems with room temperature, unclear instructions for two variable-dose medicines and incomplete improvements to records.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff were trained and supported, and people received suitable food, drinks and healthcare. Inspectors found that staff followed healthcare advice and supported people to make choices in line with the law.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff knew people's preferences and supported people to make choices and remain as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was mostly personalised and activities reflected people's interests. Some care records used vague terms such as 'full support', and managers agreed to review them so that people's needs were described more clearly.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers and staff were described as approachable, organised and caring. The home used meetings, questionnaires and audits to monitor quality and respond to feedback.
What inspectors found, August 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with some medicines and care-record improvements needed.
This was an unannounced inspection on 23 July and 1 August 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff, managers and visiting health professionals. They also reviewed care records, training information, policies and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe risk management, clean surroundings and generally safe medicines practice. The home took action during or after the inspection to improve medicines records and storage.
People described staff as kind and respectful. Their care was personalised, activities reflected their interests, and people were supported with food, healthcare, choices and relationships. Managers were described as approachable, and the home used feedback and audits to improve.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives gave very positive feedback about the staff's kindness, respect and compassion.
“Staff treated people well and respected each person as an individual.” from the report
People's choices respected
People were involved in decisions about their care and were encouraged to do what they could for themselves.
“People told us they were able to make choices in their daily lives.” from the report
Good health support
Staff noticed changes in people's health, sought help when needed and acted on advice from health professionals.
“Care records showed people had been referred to healthcare professionals.” from the report
Activities and relationships
Activities were based on people's interests, and relatives said they were welcomed when visiting.
“Activities were based on what people wanted and were interested in.” from the report
Approachable management
People, relatives and staff said managers were available and approachable. The home also used audits and feedback to identify improvements.
“People we spoke with, relatives and staff all told us the registered managers and management team were approachable and available when they needed them.” from the report
Medicines storage temperature
needs fixingThe medicines room had sometimes been above the recommended temperature, and no action had been taken at the time. The home later told inspectors that an air-conditioning unit had been ordered.
“There had been occasions when the medicine room temperature had exceeded the recommended temperature for safe storage of medicines and no action had been taken.” from the report
Unclear medicines instructions
needs fixingInstructions for two variable-dose medicines were not clear. The home arranged for these to be reviewed with the person's GP.
“Instructions for two variable dose medicine were not clear and arrangements were made for this to be reviewed with the person's GP.” from the report
Some care plans were vague
minorMost care plans were detailed, but some used wording such as 'full support' without enough explanation. Managers agreed to review these records.
“Some records were not as detailed and used vague terms such as 'full support'.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to keep the medicines room at the correct temperature?
- 02How are variable-dose medicines now checked and recorded?
- 03Have all care plans using vague wording such as 'full support' been rewritten with clear instructions?
- 04How are residents and relatives involved in reviewing care plans and choosing activities?
- 05How do managers check that audits lead to lasting improvements?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 August 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.
What inspectors found, February 2017
Spring Gardens was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
Inspectors visited unannounced on 4 January 2017. They spoke with people using the home, a relative and staff. They also reviewed care plans, medicines records, other documents and information from local organisations.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable care plans, support with food and health, activities, and systems for listening to concerns.
The previous inspection in September 2015 found three legal breaches. These related to safe care and treatment, person-centred care and good governance. Inspectors said the required improvements had been made by this inspection.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were given as prescribed and records were accurate. Guidance was available for medicines given only when needed.
“We found records were all accurate. This meant all people in the home had received all of their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People described staff as caring. Inspectors saw that staff understood how to protect privacy and dignity during personal care.
“People told us they felt staff were caring towards them and their families.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's needs, preferences and choices. People and families were involved in developing and reviewing them.
“Care plans we reviewed were seen to have been developed using a person- centred approach.” from the report
No registered manager
minorThere was no registered manager when inspectors visited. The newly appointed manager had applied to register and was waiting for an interview.
“At the time of our inspection the service did not have a registered manager.” from the report
Limited interaction at lunch
needs fixingInspectors saw very little interaction between staff and people during lunch. The manager said they would look into this.
“However the room was very quiet in spite of the large number of people.” from the report
- 01Has the manager now completed the registration process, and who is legally responsible for the home while this is pending?
- 02What changes were made after inspectors found limited interaction between staff and people during lunch?
- 03How are people's individual preferences recorded and checked during care plan reviews?
- 04How are activities kept available for people who prefer to spend time in their rooms?
- 05What action was taken in response to concerns about laundry items going missing?
This was an unannounced inspection covering the overall quality of the home and all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 February 2017 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 Spring Gardens
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 May 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.
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Most charge £980 to £1,250 a week. 89 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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