CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sternhill Paddock
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
What inspectors found, November 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection prevention and control arrangements.
The inspection took place on 3 November 2020. It was announced and formed part of a CQC thematic review of infection prevention and control in care homes.
The inspectors found that the home had suitable measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These included visitor checks, hand hygiene information, face masks, personal protective equipment, testing, cleaning schedules and updated infection control plans.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most of the five areas. The Safe question was also recorded as inspected but not rated.
Visitor safety
The home had checks and protective measures for visitors before they entered.
“The service had a robust system in place for all visitors which included a temperature check, hand sanitising and the requirement to wear a face mask before entering the home.” from the report
Accessible information
Information about infection control was presented in an easy-to-understand format, including pictures created with people living at the home.
“The service displayed signage in easy read format ensuring the information is accessible for everyone within the home.” from the report
Staff training and equipment
Staff had specialist infection prevention and control training, and personal protective equipment was available around the home.
“Staff had undertaken specialist training in Infection Prevention and Control which includes how to put on PPE correctly and how to take it off” from the report
Testing and isolation
The home had arranged whole-home COVID-19 testing and supported staff to isolate when needed.
“The Registered manager had registered for 'whole home' testing for COVID-19, this is embedded within the home and all staff and people using the service participated in this.” from the report
Cleaning and outbreak planning
Cleaning of frequently touched surfaces had been increased. The home had also updated its infection control policy and reviewed its emergency plans.
“The service had strengthened cleaning schedules in place, touch points such as light switches, door handles and TV remotes were cleaned twice daily.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How have the infection prevention and control arrangements changed since the inspection in November 2020?
- 02How often are frequently touched surfaces cleaned now?
- 03How are visitors checked and what protective equipment is required?
- 04How often are people living at the home and staff tested when there is an infection risk?
- 05What are the home's current arrangements for supporting someone who needs to isolate?
This was an announced thematic review focused on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the other four key questions were not inspected. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 November 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.
What inspectors found, January 2019
Rated Good after improving from Requires Improvement; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with a few records still needing attention.
This was an announced, comprehensive inspection on 12 December 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and other visitors. They examined care records, staff recruitment files, training records, rotas, audits and complaints information.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safer recruitment, safe medicines systems, kind support, personalised care plans and a well-maintained environment.
The rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. The provider had made improvements in the four areas where breaches had previously been found. One medicines record issue and the failure to return required provider information were noted, but these did not change the ratings.
Improved safety
Systems for investigating injuries, reporting safeguarding concerns and reviewing incidents had improved since the previous inspection.
“People were now supported by staff in a way that protected them from avoidable harm and abuse.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw warm interactions and staff supporting people with dignity, privacy and reassurance.
“People liked the staff and we saw clear examples of warm, positive, kind and caring interactions.” from the report
Stronger leadership
The manager and senior team had introduced better checks of high-risk areas, including restraint, recruitment, risk assessments and incidents.
“Robust quality assurance processes were now in place that were used to ensure that high risk areas such as; the use of restraint, risk assessments, recruitment and the investigation of incidents were now appropriately monitored.” from the report
Medicines records
needs fixingNot all handwritten medicines entries had been double signed. The manager said this would be addressed.
“We noted not all handwritten entries on these records were double signed.” from the report
Required information not returned
minorThe provider had not returned the annual information requested by CQC. Inspectors said this did not affect the rating because other improvements were clear.
“The provider did not meet the minimum requirement of completing the Provider Information Return at least once annually.” from the report
End of life planning
minorThe home had started helping people think about end of life choices, but more detailed plans were still being developed.
“The registered manager told us they were planning to develop meaningful support plans in this area to include people's personal preferences.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure all handwritten medicines entries are checked and double signed?
- 02What has been done to complete the end of life support plans, including each person's personal preferences?
- 03How do you review safeguarding concerns, injuries and incidents, and how are lessons shared with staff?
- 04How do you make sure care plans and positive behaviour support plans reflect changing needs?
- 05What information do families receive about the improvements made since the previous inspection?
This was an announced comprehensive inspection covering all five areas and checking whether improvements had been made after the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 January 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.
Every inspection of Sternhill Paddock
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- January 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 August 2016.
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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