CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Barn
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, July 2018
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, but leadership and quality checks needed improvement.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 5 June 2018. The inspectors spoke with people living at the home, staff, a manager and a relative. They reviewed care records, staffing, training and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall, and remained Good in Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. People were supported safely, treated with kindness, involved in decisions and given care that reflected their needs and preferences.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement, down from Good. Inspectors found that some improvement actions were not dated or completed, quality checks missed some problems, and refurbishment work was behind schedule. A registered manager was confirmed as being in post after the inspection.
People felt safe
Risks were assessed, monitored and managed while people's freedom was respected. There were also arrangements for safeguarding, emergencies and learning from accidents.
“We found that risks to people's safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so that people were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives were positive about the care. Staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and individual ways of communicating.
“People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected and promoted.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's needs and wishes and were reviewed when needs changed. Activities were flexible and people were supported to use community facilities.
“We found that people received personalised care that was responsive to their needs.” from the report
Staff training and support
Staff had induction, refresher and specialist training, including training about autism and epilepsy. They also received one-to-one support and yearly reviews.
“Staff had been supported to deliver care in line with current best practice guidance.” from the report
Medicine records
needs fixingInspectors saw two written amendments that were not signed and dated. This meant it was not possible to check whether the records were accurate.
“However we observed where written amendments had been made on two occasions these had not been signed and dated according to best practice.” from the report
Quality checks did not catch every issue
needs fixingThe home's checks did not identify the medicine-record problem. Some agreed actions also had no completion date.
“Checks on the quality of the service were not consistently effective.” from the report
Refurbishment was behind
needs fixingSome parts of the home needed repair and decoration, including garden fencing. The refurbishment plan was not progressing on time.
“A refurbishment plan was in place but actions were behind.” from the report
- 01Have all unsigned or undated medicine-record amendments been corrected, and how are records now checked?
- 02Which refurbishment actions were outstanding at the inspection, including the garden fencing and decorating, and have they now been completed?
- 03How do you make sure actions from quality checks have a clear completion date and are followed up?
- 04The report says seven staff had left since January 2018. Has staffing remained stable, and how do you maintain continuity for residents?
- 05A registered manager was confirmed after the inspection. Who is currently responsible for day-to-day management and how are families kept informed about improvements?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 July 2018 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 Barn
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 December 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.
Weigh the report against the rest
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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Lincolnshire
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.
8 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Martin was more than a carer, he managed the home and became my uncle's best friend, enriching his life during his last few years.”
“Magda was always positive and proactive about trying new things to keep dad busy. She also introduced new ideas for keeping dad healthy.”
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.