CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at St Albans Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, detailed risk assessments, safe medicines systems and effective safeguarding and infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- The report did not give a rating or detailed findings for this question.
- Caring?
- Good
- The report did not give a rating or detailed findings for this question.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The report did not give a rating or detailed findings for this question.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found clear management responsibilities, regular quality checks, open management and opportunities for people, relatives and staff to give their views.
What inspectors found, December 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe, medicines were managed properly and the home was well run.
Inspectors visited without notice from 8 to 10 November 2023. They spoke with people living in the home, a relative and staff. They observed care, checked records, looked around the building and reviewed medicines, recruitment, training and management systems.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, including nurses throughout the day and night. Risks, medicines, safeguarding and infection prevention were managed safely.
Inspectors found managers had effective checks on quality and safety. People and relatives could give their views, and the previous overall rating of Good, published in February 2018, remained unchanged.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to care for people in a timely way, with nurses employed throughout the day and night.
“Sufficient staff were deployed to ensure people were cared for in a timely way.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines records were maintained and trained staff administered medicines. Audits were carried out regularly.
“Medicines were managed safely. Records for the receipt, administration and disposal of medicines were kept.” from the report
Risk management
Risks were assessed, reviewed and monitored. The home also analysed accidents and incidents to reduce the chance of them happening again.
“Accidents and incidents were analysed to look for how a reoccurrence could happen.” from the report
Open management
Managers had systems to monitor quality and safety and encouraged people, relatives and staff to share their views.
“The management team had established systems for monitoring the quality and safety at St Albans Nursing Home” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you make sure there are enough staff on every shift, including nurses?
- 02How often are medicines audits completed, and what happens if an error or concern is found?
- 03How are individual risks reviewed when a person's needs or abilities change?
- 04How do you use accidents and incidents to prevent them happening again?
- 05What changes have been made in response to residents' meetings, questionnaires or relatives' feedback?
This inspection rated Safe and Well-led only; the report did not give ratings or detailed findings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 December 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, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, safe admissions and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 22 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether staffing pressures linked to COVID-19 were affecting care.
Inspectors found safe processes for admissions, testing, personal protective equipment and cleaning. They were assured that the home was managing infection risks and keeping its infection control policy up to date.
The home supported contact with relatives through visits, phone calls and video calls. Indoor visiting was suspended during a COVID-19 outbreak, except in exceptional circumstances, although essential care givers could still visit.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means this visit did not produce an overall quality rating or a rated result for the five areas of care.
Infection control
Inspectors found that the home had safe infection control processes, with suitable PPE, testing and cleaning arrangements.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was reported to be clean and hygienic, with cleaning schedules and PPE stations available.
“The home was clean and hygienic. Cleaning schedules were in place and PPE stations in each of the rooms.” from the report
Contact with relatives
The home used visits, phone calls and video calls to help people stay in contact with their families.
“Social media systems such as computer systems and 'face time' access was used to facilitate contact between people and their relatives.” from the report
Safe admissions
Dedicated staff supported safe admissions and continued support in line with national guidance.
“The provider had dedicated staff to ensure people were admitted safely and continued to be supported in the service in accordance with national guidance.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What are the current visiting arrangements, and are indoor visits ever restricted?
- 02How do you manage staffing pressures when staff are absent because of COVID-19?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested, and what happens if someone tests positive?
- 04How are new residents admitted safely and checked for infection risks?
- 05How often are cleaning schedules and PPE supplies checked?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 March 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 St Albans Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- February 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 January 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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Fees, photos and reviews from families
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What to check when you visit
85 live-in carers within about an hour of Lancashire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 78 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
“Thanks to Tracy, Dad was always immaculately dressed and clean, his meals were all home cooked and nutritionally well balanced and his home was always kept really clean and tidy.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.