CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Grove Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks to people's safety had been assessed and measures were in place. Medicines, staffing, recruitment, safeguarding and infection control were also found to be managed safely.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- This key question was not directly inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not directly inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not directly inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found improved oversight by the provider and manager. Audits, incident learning, staff support and communication with relatives were being used to improve the service.
What inspectors found, November 2022
The Grove Residential Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found major improvements in safety and management, and it is no longer in special measures.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 13 September 2022. One inspector spoke with people living there, staff, relatives and a health professional. They also observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were assessed, medicines were better managed, staffing levels were sufficient, recruitment checks had improved and infection control was effective. People were supported by staff who understood their needs.
The last inspection, in June 2022, rated the home Inadequate and found breaches of regulations. The provider had completed an action plan. At this inspection, inspectors found enough improvement for the home to be no longer in breach and to leave special measures.
This inspection only directly covered Safe and Well-led. The overall Good rating also used ratings from the previous inspection for Effective, Caring and Responsive.
Risk management
Care plans gave staff clear information about people's individual risks and support needs. Inspectors saw that mobility aids, suitable diets and pressure-relieving equipment were being used.
“People's care plans gave clear information on how to support their individual needs.” from the report
Medicines safety
Medicines management had improved after earlier errors. Staff training and checks had been reviewed, and regular audits were in place.
“There were clear quality monitoring processes in place to ensure medicines were managed safely, with daily, weekly and monthly audits to monitor different aspects of medicines administration.” from the report
Learning and oversight
The manager and provider were using audits, incident reviews and regular monitoring visits to identify and address problems.
“The quality monitoring processes which were in place at our last visit had become embedded in the service.” from the report
Recent staff turnover
needs fixingRelatives said there had been a large turnover of staff in the previous few months. They said this was slowing, but families may want to check whether staffing has remained stable.
“Relatives told us there had been a large turnover of staff in the last few months, but this was now slowing.” from the report
Ongoing medicines oversight
minorAlthough medicines management had improved, inspectors said the manager was still developing the medicines audit tool and continuing to improve oversight.
“The manager continued to work to improve her oversight.” from the report
- 01How many care staff have left since the inspection, and how do you ensure there are enough familiar staff for each person?
- 02How are medicines errors recorded, reviewed and followed up now?
- 03How often are care plans reviewed when a person's mobility, skin condition or weight changes?
- 04What action is taken when audits or incident reviews identify a problem?
- 05How will you maintain the improvements that led to the home leaving special measures?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 November 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, June 2022
Rated Inadequate and remains in special measures; inspectors found serious gaps in safe care, staffing, recruitment and management.
This was an unannounced focused inspection. Inspectors visited on 28 February and 15 March 2022, spoke with people, staff and relatives, and checked care records, medicines, staff files, rotas and management records.
Some things had improved since the previous inspection. The home had improved fire safety and reduced some environmental risks. People said they felt safe with staff, and inspectors found good infection control.
However, people were still at risk. Care plans did not always reflect people's needs, repositioning records were incomplete, medicines records had discrepancies, staffing was not always sufficient, and recruitment checks were incomplete. The home had no registered manager and its quality checks were too new to show they were effective.
The overall rating remained Inadequate, as did the ratings for Safe and Well-led. The home remained in special measures, with CQC requiring an action plan and further monitoring.
Improved fire safety
Fire alarms were being tested weekly, and unsafe access to the second floor and exposed hot-water pipes had been addressed.
“This had been rectified and there were records of weekly tests being carried out.” from the report
Better environmental safety
The home had installed stairgates and decommissioned the second floor where evacuation equipment could not be used safely.
“Since our last inspection when we identified a risk of people living with dementia and mobility concerns being able to access the two staircases at the service.” from the report
Safeguarding improved
Staff had received safeguarding training and knew their responsibilities for protecting people from abuse and risk of abuse.
“Staff had received safeguarding training to support them in their roles and were aware of their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and risk of abuse.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that infection prevention measures, personal protective equipment and visiting arrangements were being managed appropriately.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
People felt safe
The people inspectors spoke with said they felt safe with the staff supporting them.
“People we spoke with felt safe with the staff who supported them.” from the report
Incomplete care plans and risk records
seriousSome care plans did not contain up-to-date information. Records showed gaps in repositioning, and one person did not have the equipment needed to move safely.
“People were not always supported in line with their assessed needs.” from the report
Medicines records did not match
seriousThere were discrepancies between a controlled medicines register and the medicines administration record. The provider had not clearly investigated or monitored these errors.
“This left people at risk of not receiving their medicines in line with their prescription and meant lessons from these errors had not been learned.” from the report
Not enough reliable staffing
seriousThe available rota showed insufficient staff, and missing rotas meant inspectors could not be assured that shifts were safely covered. Some staff worked sleep-in and long day shifts back to back.
“This is not safe practice and put people at risk of harm.” from the report
Unsafe recruitment checks
seriousRecruitment records were incomplete, and family members had worked as care workers without Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
“The provider had used family members to work as care workers without undertaking Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.” from the report
Weak management oversight
needs fixingThere was no registered manager. Quality monitoring had been introduced but was not yet embedded, and records about staff and rotas were incomplete.
“However, these processes were new and required embedding before we can make a judgement on how effective they are in improving the quality of people's care.” from the report
Staff and family communication
needs fixingStaff reported feeling unsupported and described a culture of bullying. Relatives said communication had not always been consistent, although one relative said it had improved in recent weeks.
“Staff we spoke with told us they felt unsupported and unappreciated by the provider.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that every person's care plan is complete and reflects their current needs?
- 02What checks are now made on controlled medicines, and how are discrepancies investigated?
- 03How many trained staff are on each shift, including at night, and can we see recent rotas?
- 04Have all staff and agency workers completed the required recruitment and DBS checks?
- 05Who is currently responsible for managing the home, and what evidence shows that the new quality checks are working?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 June 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 Grove Residential Care Home
6 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from InadequateSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at The Grove Residential Care Home →
- June 2022Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
Read what inspectors found at The Grove Residential Care Home →
- February 2022InadequateSafe: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- December 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 February 2012.
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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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.