CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Arkley Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks, fire safety, medicines, infection control and staff recruitment were managed appropriately.
- Effective?
- Good
- People had individual assessments and care plans, suitable staff training, support with food and fluids, access to healthcare and decision-making support.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- This key question was not covered by this inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not covered by this inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had positive leadership, quality checks and ways to gather views from people, relatives and staff.
What inspectors found, October 2022
The Arkley Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, effective and well-managed care, with a new manager still completing registration.
Inspectors visited without notice on 30 September 2022. They spoke with people living at the home, staff, a relative and the manager. They observed care and checked care records, staff records and management documents.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.
Care was planned around people's needs and choices. Staff had suitable training, supported people's nutrition and healthcare, and followed the Mental Capacity Act. People and staff described the management as approachable, and the home had systems to monitor quality and safety.
This was a focused inspection. It only assessed Safe, Effective and Well-led. Caring and Responsive were not assessed, so their previous ratings do not appear in this report.
People felt safe
All the people inspectors spoke with said they felt safe and looked after. Staff had safeguarding training and knew how to report concerns.
“All the people we spoke with told us they felt safe and looked after by the staff.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans recorded people's needs, preferences and choices. People and their families were involved in planning and reviewing care.
“Care plans contained information about each person's individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people.” from the report
Good support with food and health
Staff monitored people's nutrition and helped people who needed support to eat and drink. Healthcare referrals were made when needed.
“Staff closely observed the slow eaters and those who hadn't really eaten much encouraging them to do so and helping them with feeding when required.” from the report
Effective staff training
Training records showed staff were up to date with mandatory training. Staff received supervision and said they felt supported.
“Training records for staff were reviewed and they evidenced staff were up to date with their mandatory training” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home used regular audits covering areas such as medicines, nutrition, care plans, accidents and safety.
“This included monthly audits of people's nutrition, medicines, staff records, care plans, health and safety and accidents and incidents.” from the report
Use of agency staff
minorThe home was using a number of regular agency staff and was recruiting to these posts. Inspectors still found there were enough staff at the visit, but families may want to ask about staffing continuity.
“At the time of our inspection the service used a number of regular agency staff, the manager was actively recruiting to these posts.” from the report
Manager registration
minorThere was no registered manager in post at the inspection. A recently appointed manager was in the process of registering with the CQC.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01How many agency staff are currently working in the home, and how are you maintaining consistency for residents?
- 02Has the new manager now completed registration with the CQC?
- 03How will you involve my relative and our family in creating and reviewing their care plan?
- 04How do you monitor my relative's food and fluid intake, and when would you involve a dietitian or speech and language therapist?
- 05How will you support my relative to make decisions if they may lack the capacity to make a particular decision?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; Caring and Responsive were not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 October 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.
What inspectors found, January 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements during a targeted COVID-19 inspection.
Inspectors visited on 11 January 2022 with about 24 hours' notice. This was a targeted inspection focused on infection prevention, control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
They found the home was following government visiting guidance. Visitors could have testing and were shown how to use personal protective equipment. The home also offered video calls and a visiting pod for other visitors.
Inspectors found clean premises, enhanced cleaning, good ventilation and supplies of protective equipment. Staff had relevant training, and the home had arrangements for testing, vaccinations and managing possible outbreaks.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide a full assessment of the home's overall quality or its care in all five areas.
Infection control
Inspectors found the home was meeting good infection prevention and control guidelines. The premises were clean, with enhanced cleaning and adequate ventilation.
“We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.” from the report
Visiting arrangements
The home followed the visiting guidance in force at the time. It offered named visitors, an essential care giver and alternative ways to keep in touch.
“Residents had three named visitors and an essential care giver.” from the report
Protective equipment and training
There were protective equipment stations around the home, and staff had training in infection prevention and how to put on and remove this equipment.
“The home had sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). There were PPE stations available throughout the premises.” from the report
Testing and vaccinations
The provider had systems for staff vaccinations and COVID-19 testing. Inspectors were assured that testing and vaccination requirements were being met.
“The service was meeting the requirement to ensure non-exempt staff and visiting professionals were vaccinated against COVID-19.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What measures are currently used to manage staffing pressures linked to COVID-19?
- 02How are visitors currently tested and supported to use protective equipment?
- 03How does the home now manage visits for people who are not named visitors?
- 04How are staff and visiting professionals' COVID-19 vaccinations and testing checked?
- 05What are the current arrangements for preventing and managing an infection outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 January 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 The Arkley Care Home
9 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- October 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2015InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 November 2010.
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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