CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sway Place
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, November 2021
Sway Place was rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found caring, personalised support, with Good ratings for safety, effectiveness and care.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 27 September and 4 October 2021. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and visiting professionals. They also checked care records, medicines records, staff recruitment files and management records.
People said they felt safe and well cared for. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, good infection control and suitable checks on risks. Staff were trained and knew people's needs, preferences and routines.
The home was rated Outstanding for being responsive and well-led. Inspectors found highly personalised care, a wide range of activities, excellent end of life support and strong involvement from people, relatives, staff and the local community.
This was the first inspection since the service registered with CQC under the current provider. The previous provider's rating was Good, published on 12 April 2018.
Personalised care
Staff knew people as individuals and supported their interests, independence and personal choices. People could bring pets and personal furniture into the home.
“People received outstanding person-centred care and were supported to follow their interests and make choices about how they spent their time.” from the report
Activities and wellbeing
The home offered varied activities seven days a week, including exercise, outings, music, gardening and one-to-one support for people who preferred it.
“The service recognised and responded to people's needs for social interaction and mental stimulation.” from the report
End of life care
Staff worked with healthcare professionals and the local hospice to provide comfortable and dignified end of life care. Relatives could stay close to their family member.
“People received outstanding end of life care and people experienced a comfortable and dignified death.” from the report
Leadership and improvement
Managers used audits, meetings and learning from incidents to improve care. Staff were described as stable, skilled and motivated.
“Throughout the inspection it was evident that the leadership team were all extremely passionate about their role and took ownership of ensuring improvements were continually made” from the report
Safety and medicines
People felt safe, there were enough staff and medicines records showed medicines had been given as prescribed. The home was clean and infection control measures were robust.
“Medicine administration records (MARs) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Recruitment records
minorRecruitment checks were completed, but the files were not kept in line with the provider's own instructions on retaining records. Managers said they would address this.
“We noted the recruitment files were not kept in line with the provider's instructions on the retention of records.” from the report
- 01How have you addressed the issue with recruitment files not being kept in line with your retention instructions?
- 02How will you assess and regularly review my relative's individual risks, including nutrition, mobility and skin integrity?
- 03Which activities would best match my relative's interests, and what one-to-one options are available if they do not want group activities?
- 04How will you involve my relative and our family in creating and reviewing their care plan and end of life wishes?
- 05How do you check that staffing levels and call-bell responses remain sufficient for people's needs?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including infection prevention and control; it was the first inspection since the service registered under the current provider. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 November 2021 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 Sway Place
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- November 2021Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- April 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 January 2020.
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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26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
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.