CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Croft Residential Home
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risks were assessed and managed, staffing was sufficient, recruitment checks were completed, and medicines were given safely and on time.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed and care plans were reviewed. Staff had training and support, food and healthcare needs were met, and staff understood mental capacity requirements.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors saw warm, friendly and compassionate relationships. Staff respected privacy, dignity and independence, and gave people time to express their wishes.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care and activities were tailored to people's interests, communication needs and relationships. The home also had detailed end of life care plans and specialist training.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- The provider and registered manager were visible, committed and focused on improvement. Governance systems, staff support and feedback arrangements helped maintain the quality of care.
What inspectors found, March 2020
Rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led care, with safe and effective care rated Good.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection on 23 January 2020. One inspector visited the home, spoke with four residents and eight staff, and later contacted four relatives. They also reviewed care, medicine and management records.
Inspectors found that people were safe, received their medicines correctly, had access to healthcare and were supported by trained staff. Care was described as exceptionally kind, respectful and tailored to individual choices. Activities, family contact and end of life care were also personalised.
The overall rating was Outstanding. Caring, Responsive and Well-led were rated Outstanding, while Safe and Effective were rated Good. These ratings were unchanged from the previous inspection, published on 8 August 2017.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors found staff formed warm relationships with residents and supported their dignity, choices and independence.
“We observed staff responding to people's needs without hesitation and doing so with genuine concern for people's happiness, comfort and safety.” from the report
Personalised activities
Activities were linked to people's interests and helped them maintain friendships and community connections.
“The activity co-ordinators continued to demonstrate their enthusiasm and passion for ensuring people had access to a range of varied activities and hobbies tailored to individual needs and choices” from the report
Strong leadership
The provider and management team had clear oversight and used reviews, feedback and action plans to improve the service.
“The governance frameworks continued to be embedded in the culture of the service and was a platform for accountability and learning lessons to improve practices and the quality of care people received.” from the report
Good safety arrangements
Risks, staffing, recruitment and medicines were managed safely, and staff knew how to protect people from harm.
“People's individual risks had been assessed, planned for and recorded in a risk assessment.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How far has the electronic care planning system been rolled out, and how do you check that records stay up to date?
- 02What further dementia-friendly changes are planned for the home?
- 03How will you support my relative's particular interests, outings and relationships with family and friends?
- 04How will you meet my relative's communication needs if they have sight, hearing or other communication difficulties?
- 05How would you involve us in planning end of life care and recording our relative's wishes?
This was an unannounced, planned inspection covering all five key questions, with care home premises and care provision both examined. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 March 2020 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, August 2017
Rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led support, with safe and effective care rated Good.
This was an unannounced inspection on 19 and 20 April 2017. One inspector observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff, the manager and provider, and reviewed care records, staff files, medicines records and quality checks.
People were safe, with enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, managed risks and medicines given as prescribed. Staff were trained and supported people with food, drink, consent, mental capacity and healthcare needs.
Inspectors found especially strong care, personal attention and support for people's dignity, independence, relationships, interests and activities. They also found excellent leadership, regular feedback and a strong focus on improving the home. The overall rating was Outstanding. Safe and Effective were rated Good, while Caring, Responsive and Well-led were rated Outstanding.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Inspectors found risks were assessed, staffing was sufficient and medicines were managed safely.
“People were protected from harm by staff who had received training in how to keep people safe and report any signs of potential abuse.” from the report
Skilled staff
Staff understood people's care needs and received training, induction and supervision. Inspectors saw staff respond well when people became confused or distressed.
“People received support from staff who were trained to meet their care and support needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff showed patience, affection and compassion. They promoted people's dignity, independence and everyday choices.
“Staff went above and beyond their required duties to support people to live full and active lives.” from the report
Personalised activities
Staff knew people's histories and interests. Activities included one-to-one support, trips out and links with local community groups.
“People were supported to take part in personalised activities and hobbies which were identified by staff who knew them well.” from the report
Strong leadership
People, relatives and staff spoke very positively about the management. The home used feedback, audits and outside advice to improve the service.
“The culture of the service was positive and person centred and the registered manager and provider used feedback from people and their relatives to make improvements.” from the report
Food preferences
minorOne person said the food was not always how they liked it. They also said staff listened when they explained what they did not like.
“The food isn't always how I like it, but there's plenty of it. I do tell staff what I don't like and they do listen.” from the report
- 01How would you assess and update my relative's risks if they had a fall or their mobility changed?
- 02How do you record and act on food preferences, including dislikes and special diets?
- 03How would you use my relative's life history and interests to plan activities and one-to-one time?
- 04How do you check that staff understand consent, mental capacity and any authorised deprivation of liberty arrangements?
- 05How quickly would you contact healthcare professionals if my relative's health or nutrition changed?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions and the overall quality of the home; the inspector also reviewed three care records, three staff files and medicine records for eight people. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 August 2017 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 Croft Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- March 2020Outstandingcurrent ratingstayed OutstandingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- August 2017Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- February 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
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 6 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.
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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Wolverhampton
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 £950 to £1,230 a week. 89 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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