CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Conifers Rest Home
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including PPE, cleaning, social distancing, testing, safe admissions and outbreak management.
- Effective?
- Good
- This targeted inspection did not assess or rate effective care.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- This targeted inspection did not assess or rate how caring the service was.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This targeted inspection did not assess or rate how the service responded to people's needs.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This targeted inspection did not assess or rate how well the service was led.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection control measures were in place.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 5 March 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic, rather than carrying out a full inspection of the home.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using PPE safely, supporting social distancing, cleaning high-touch areas, managing admissions and accessing COVID-19 testing. They also found an up-to-date infection control policy and arrangements to prevent or manage outbreaks.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give an overall quality rating or full ratings for the five areas of care.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to prevent and manage infections, including an up-to-date policy.
“We were assured the provider's infection prevention and control policy was up to date.” from the report
PPE and cleaning
Staff were seen wearing the correct PPE. Cleaning had been increased for frequently touched surfaces.
“Staff were observed to wear the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in line with government guidance.” from the report
Testing and admissions
People and staff were regularly tested for COVID-19, and admissions followed government guidance.
“People and staff were regularly tested for COVID-19.” from the report
Family contact
The home supported contact with family and friends through telephone and video calls. Visits had been facilitated where it was safe.
“People were supported to maintain contact with family members and friends using telephones and video calling.” from the report
Social distancing
The home changed the dining room layout and supported socially distanced activities and celebrations.
“The dining room had been re-designed so people could sit at a safe distance from each other.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are people and staff being tested for COVID-19 now?
- 02How do you currently manage visits from family and friends?
- 03What PPE and cleaning arrangements are in place, especially for high-touch surfaces?
- 04How would you respond if there was an infection outbreak in the home?
- 05How do you support activities, birthdays and other important events while maintaining safety?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 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.
What inspectors found, July 2019
The Conifers Rest Home was rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptionally caring and responsive support, with the other areas rated Good.
This was an unannounced, planned, comprehensive inspection on 26 March 2019. Two inspectors and an expert by experience visited the home. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, observed care and lunch, and checked care records, medicines, recruitment, training, complaints and audits.
Inspectors found that people felt safe and received effective care. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, the home was clean, and staff had suitable training. People were supported to eat and drink, stay as independent as possible and access health services.
The strongest findings were about kindness and personalised support. Staff knew people very well, respected their choices and supported their interests, relationships, activities and end of life wishes. Complaints were investigated and used to make improvements.
The overall rating was Outstanding. Safe, Effective and Well-led were rated Good. Caring and Responsive were rated Outstanding. At the previous inspection on 10 November 2016, the service was rated Good overall, with Caring rated Outstanding.
Kind and compassionate staff
Inspectors saw warm, respectful support and found that staff knew people extremely well. People and relatives spoke very positively about the care.
“There was evidence of an exceptionally caring culture embedded across the home.” from the report
Personalised daily life
People were supported to make choices, remain independent and continue activities and relationships that mattered to them. Care plans contained detailed information about people's lives and preferences.
“Staff were committed to supporting people to live their lives in a way that promoted independence, belonging and purpose.” from the report
End of life support
The home helped people and families discuss and record detailed end of life wishes. Relatives were offered emotional and practical support, including the option to stay overnight.
“The service was particularly skilled at helping people and their families or carers to explore and record their wishes about care at the end of their life.” from the report
Good safety arrangements
Risk assessments were personalised and updated when people's needs changed. Staff managed medicines safely, monitored incidents and used technology to check people's needs at night.
“There was innovative use of technology, staff used digital scanners at night as they checked on people.” from the report
Responsive management
The home acted on complaints and feedback and made practical changes. Staff also worked with health professionals to respond quickly when people's health changed.
“The registered manager was responsive to complaints and making improvements.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you support my relative's particular mobility or falls risks, and how would you update their risk assessment if their needs changed?
- 02How do the digital night checks and the telemedicine service work, and how would you tell us about any change in our relative's health?
- 03How would you involve my relative and our family in recording their end of life wishes?
- 04How would you monitor and respond to changes in my relative's weight, appetite or dietary needs?
- 05What activities and community links could you provide that match my relative's interests, culture and independence?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall service rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 July 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 The Conifers Rest Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2019Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- December 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 September 2015.
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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90 live-in carers within about an hour of Nottingham
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 £980 to £1,270 a week. 73 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.