CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Chestnuts Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks, safeguarding, staffing, infection control and accidents were managed safely. Some medicine concerns remained, and the provider carried out an immediate full audit.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- People said staff were kind, pleasant and helpful. Inspectors saw staff respect people's choices, privacy, dignity and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Audits generally identified concerns, but the management team did not always ensure that problems were resolved promptly. Inspectors recommended embedding management systems into everyday practice.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, but leadership needs to improve and medicine concerns remained.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 27 October 2023. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Caring were rated Good. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, risks were managed, staffing was sufficient, the home was clean, and people were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. The home had identified medicine management concerns and had started to act, but some concerns were still found during the inspection. Audits identified issues, but actions were not always completed promptly.
The overall rating remained Good. The inspection did not assess Effective or Responsive, so those ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection.
People felt safe
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and knew what to do if they suspected abuse.
“People were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm.” from the report
Enough suitable staff
Inspectors found sufficient staff and safe recruitment processes. People said staff responded to requests within a few minutes.
“The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People spoke positively about staff. Inspectors observed staff respecting privacy, dignity and people's choices.
“Staff are pleasant, kind and helpful.” from the report
Personalised rooms
People's rooms were personalised, with support from staff and relatives to arrange them in ways people chose.
“People's bedrooms were personalised, and staff had supported people and their relatives to present their room in the way they chose.” from the report
Medicine management
needs fixingThe provider had already identified medicine concerns, but inspectors found some concerns were still present. A full audit and action plan were put in place.
“During our inspection we found some concerns were still apparent. The provider took immediate action to carry out a full audit to ensure people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Actions not always completed promptly
needs fixingManagement audits identified issues, but the team did not always follow the provider's guidance or resolve concerns in good time. This led to a Requires Improvement rating for Well-led.
“The management team had not always followed guidance from the provider and therefore issues had not always been resolved in a timely way.” from the report
- 01What medicine management concerns were found, and what has the full audit changed?
- 02How are you checking that people receive their medicines as prescribed now?
- 03Which actions from audits have not been completed promptly, and when will they be finished?
- 04What are the current Effective and Responsive ratings, which were not assessed during this inspection?
- 05How will you show that management systems are now embedded and that concerns are acted on quickly?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe, Caring and Well-led; Effective and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 November 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, March 2021
The Chestnuts Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and Covid-19 safety measures.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 17 February 2021. Inspectors looked at how the home prevented and controlled infection during the coronavirus pandemic.
They found systems to reduce the risk of visitors bringing or spreading infection. Staff used face masks and had enough personal protective equipment. Staff and residents were tested and had received their first vaccination.
The home was clean, well maintained and free from unpleasant smells. Inspectors also found enhanced cleaning, up-to-date infection control policies and ways for residents to keep in touch with relatives.
The home was inspected but not rated. This does not give an overall judgement on the quality of care, because this visit focused only on infection prevention and control.
Infection control systems
The home had systems for preventing visitors from introducing or spreading Covid-19. Its infection control policies and audits were up to date.
“There were systems and processes in place, in line with guidance, to ensure visitors to the home did not introduce and spread Covid-19.” from the report
Protective equipment and testing
Staff were using face masks and the home had enough protective equipment. Staff and residents were tested in line with guidance.
“All staff were wearing face masks. The home had sufficient supplies of PPE.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean, well maintained and free from unpleasant smells. Enhanced cleaning schedules were in place.
“The care home was clean, well maintained and odour-free. There were enhanced cleaning schedules in place.” from the report
Social contact
The home supported residents' social and emotional wellbeing through calls, social media and adapted visiting arrangements.
“Alternative forms of maintaining social contact were in place including regular telephone and video calls, and use of closed social media groups.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What are the home's current arrangements for testing residents and staff?
- 02How does the home now manage visits and reduce the risk of infection?
- 03Does the home still have enough personal protective equipment for staff?
- 04How often are enhanced cleaning schedules completed and checked?
- 05What is the home's current overall CQC rating, given that this inspection was not rated?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it did not assess the other four quality questions or give an overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 March 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 The Chestnuts Care Home
4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementCaring: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2016InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- July 2015
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 May 2013.
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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92 live-in carers within about an hour of Wakefield
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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 79 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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