CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Georges Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risk assessments, medicines systems, infection controls, staffing and recruitment were found to be safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- No rating was given for this question in this report. The report says health and social care professionals were involved when people needed support.
- Caring?
- Good
- No rating was given for this question in this report. Inspectors said staff relationships with people were caring and supportive.
- Responsive?
- Good
- No rating was given for this question in this report. The report says support was based on people's needs and included help with community access and contact with relatives.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was consistently managed and had audits and improvement systems. Relatives said communication was good and they were kept informed about incidents or concerns.
What inspectors found, July 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and well supported in this small family-run home.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 10 May 2023. One inspector spoke with a person using the home and the provider, checked care records and staff recruitment files, and received feedback from a relative.
The home supports two people with learning disabilities. Inspectors found that staff knew people well, understood their risks and protected them from avoidable harm. Medicines, infection control, staffing and recruitment were managed safely.
Inspectors also found a caring and inclusive atmosphere. People were supported to make choices, keep in touch with relatives and go out. The home had systems to check quality and make improvements.
The overall rating was Good. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. These ratings were unchanged from the previous inspection, published in October 2018.
People felt safe
Staff knew people well and understood how to protect them from abuse and avoidable harm. Risk assessments covered areas such as moving and handling and going out into the community.
“People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them very well and understood how to protect them from abuse.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Inspectors found that medicines were administered, recorded and stored safely.
“Medicines Administration Records (MAR) we looked at were fully completed and up to date.” from the report
Caring relationships
The long-standing staff team had formed close relationships with the people living at the home. People were treated with dignity and supported to make choices.
“Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive, which one person confirmed.” from the report
Good communication
Relatives said they could keep in regular contact and were kept informed about incidents or concerns.
“Relatives said there was good communication, and they were kept informed about any incidents or concerns.” from the report
Quality checks
The home used audits to check areas such as the environment and medicines, and dealt with issues when they were found.
“There were systems in place to audit practice and plan ongoing improvements.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you meet my relative's specific needs if they change over time?
- 02How do you support people to make choices and communicate decisions, including when they may not use speech?
- 03What activities and support for going out into the community would be available to my relative?
- 04How would you keep me informed about any incidents, concerns or changes in my relative's care?
- 05How do you make sure medicines remain safely administered, recorded and stored?
This inspection focused on Safe, including infection prevention and control, and Well-led; the report did not give ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 July 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, February 2022
St Georges Residential Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found several good infection-control measures but also gaps in policies, signage and laundry safety.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 17 January 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and the effect of COVID-19 staffing pressures.
The home had measures for visitor vaccination checks, testing, hand hygiene and protective equipment. It supported outdoor visits and other contact with relatives. Staff had completed infection-control and COVID-19 training.
Inspectors were only somewhat assured in several infection-control areas. Policies were out of date, masks were not worn at all times, safety signage was missing and laundry items were not secured. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Visitor safety
The home checked visitors' vaccination or exemption status, required testing before entry and provided PPE and hand sanitiser.
“The provider understood and was meeting Covid-19 visitor vaccination requirements.” from the report
Contact with families
The home supported outdoor visits and used telephone contact and remote consultations when needed.
“The provider facilitated outside visits for residents to family” from the report
Staff training and vaccination
Staff had completed infection-control and COVID-19 training, and the home met the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for relevant staff and visiting professionals.
“Staff members had undertaken infection prevention and control and Covid-19 training.” from the report
Clean environment
The premises were uncluttered so cleaning could take place, and inspectors saw evidence of monthly infection-control audits.
“All areas were uncluttered so cleaning could take place effectively.” from the report
Out-of-date policies
needs fixingThe infection-control policies and practices did not fully match current government guidance. The testing arrangements in the policy were also based on older guidance.
“Policies, procedures and practices were not fully in line with current government guidance and the Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections.” from the report
Missing safety information
needs fixingInspectors did not see signs explaining the infection-control steps people should follow in the home.
“We did not see signage at the premises and instruction to explain what people should do to ensure safety” from the report
Mask use
needs fixingThe provider did not use face masks at all times inside the home, although it said PPE would be used during close-contact care.
“The provider did not use face masks at all times within the home.” from the report
Laundry safety
needs fixingWashing tablets and an unlocked cupboard were not secured. Soiled laundry was not placed in water-soluble bags.
“washing tablets were not locked away and that a lockable cupboard was not locked.” from the report
- 01Have you updated the infection-control and COVID-19 policies since this inspection, and do they now match current guidance?
- 02What signs and instructions are now displayed to explain infection-control procedures to residents, visitors and staff?
- 03How do you check that staff wear face masks when required inside the home?
- 04How are washing tablets and other laundry products kept locked away?
- 05How do you handle and transport soiled laundry, including whether water-soluble bags are now used?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 staffing pressures; only Safe was inspected and it was not rated, and the detailed section dates the visit as 17 January 2021. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 February 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 Georges Residential Care Home
5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at St Georges Residential Care Home →
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at St Georges Residential Care Home →
- October 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2016Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvement
- November 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 5 April 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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