CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Hawthorns Aldridge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe and staff understood safeguarding procedures. Care plans and risk assessments were up to date, medicines were managed safely and recruitment checks had been completed.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff supported people to make choices and followed the Mental Capacity Act principles. People received suitable food, drinks and healthcare support, and staff had relevant training.
- Caring?
- Good
- Inspectors saw kind and respectful interactions. People were involved in decisions, their privacy was respected and staff supported their independence and relationships.
- Responsive?
- Good
- People had choice and control over daily life and could take part in activities and clubs. Communication needs were considered, although some people reported delays in call buzzer responses.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had quality checks, regular meetings and a residents' committee. Managers used feedback and worked with health professionals to improve care.
What inspectors found, February 2020
The Hawthorns Aldridge was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care, but some people reported delays with staff call buzzers.
This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 24 October and 4 November 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They reviewed care plans, medicine records, staff files and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people felt safe, received their medicines as prescribed and were treated with kindness and respect.
People had choices about their care, meals and daily routines. They could join clubs and activities, maintain relationships and receive support from health professionals. The home had systems for checking quality and making improvements.
Some people and staff had mixed views about staffing levels. Some people also reported that call buzzers could sometimes take a long time to be answered. The previous inspection rating was Good, published in April 2017, and this rating remained unchanged.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse, and risk assessments were kept up to date.
“People and their relatives told us they felt safe and staff supported people to stay safe in the home.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Inspectors found that medicines were stored, given and disposed of safely. Staff training and competency checks were in place.
“Medicines were managed safely and in line with good practice guidance.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and treated them with dignity. People were involved in care decisions and encouraged to remain independent.
“People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who knew them well.” from the report
Meaningful activities
People could join clubs, help run activities and meet members of the local community. Activities included gardening, arts and crafts, chess and bowling.
“This meant that people could take part in meaningful activities that they enjoyed.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home carried out checks covering areas such as health and safety, care plans and medicines. The findings were used to plan improvements.
“We saw records of completed audits, on a wide range of areas, including health and safety, the environment, care plans and medicines.” from the report
Staffing pressure
needs fixingPeople and staff gave mixed views about staffing levels. Inspectors found people's needs were being met during the visit, but staff said some tasks could take longer when the home was busy.
“Sometimes it's ok on paper, but things can take a bit longer, you've seen how busy I have been this morning and I haven't had a break yet.” from the report
Call buzzer response times
needs fixingPeople gave different accounts of how quickly staff answered call buzzers. The residents' committee had raised this issue and the report says improvement work was still in progress.
“We also in our meetings complained about buzzer response times, this is work in progress.” from the report
- 01How do you check that staffing levels remain sufficient during busy times, such as meals?
- 02What changes have been made to improve call buzzer response times, and how are these responses monitored?
- 03Has the care plan format now been fully updated to record personal care choices and preferences?
- 04How would you support someone who found it difficult to navigate the home because there was limited signage?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that looked at the home, the care provided and all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 February 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, April 2017
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and flexible care, although some people reported waiting for staff.
This was an unannounced inspection on 24 March 2017. One inspector and an expert-by-experience spoke with people living at the home, a relative, staff and managers. They reviewed care records, one medicines record, staff records and quality checks.
The inspectors found that people were protected from harm, received medicines as prescribed and had care from trained staff. People were involved in decisions, treated with dignity and supported to stay independent. They could choose meals, activities and the level of care they needed as their needs changed.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspectors found the home meeting the standards they checked at that visit. Some people felt there were not enough staff at times, but the inspectors found enough staff to meet assessed care needs and noted that more staff were being recruited.
Kind and respectful care
People said staff were friendly, respectful and did not rush them. The inspectors also observed staff protecting privacy when entering people's rooms.
“People were supported by staff that were kind and respectful.” from the report
Flexible support
People could choose the level of care they needed. Care packages were reviewed and changed when people's needs altered, including after illness.
“Care packages provided to people were flexible and people could choose the level of support they required as needs changed.” from the report
Activities and independence
The home offered varied activities, trips and links with the local community. People were encouraged to follow their interests and remain independent.
“The provider ensured people had access to a wide variety of leisure interests to promote their well-being and maintain people's independence.” from the report
Good oversight
The home used audits and checks covering incidents, accidents, medicines, infection control and skin care. Information was reviewed and action was taken when needed.
“We saw the provider had systems in place to assess, monitor and manage the quality of the service provided to people.” from the report
Some reported delays for staff
needs fixingSome people said there were not always enough staff and that they sometimes waited for help. The provider was recruiting more staff and said staffing levels were checked weekly.
“Another person said, "The staff are very good but there are not enough of them. You have to wait between quarter of an hour to twenty minutes or so [before they attended].” from the report
The home had changed over time
minorPeople had different views about how the home had developed since it opened. One relative felt it had become more focused on care than retirement living.
“A relative commented, "I think this place has become something different to what it was when [person] came in. It was retirement in style and now it has more care.” from the report
- 01What are the current staffing levels, and how quickly do staff usually respond to pendant alarms or requests for help?
- 02What happened after people reported waiting 15 to 20 minutes for staff, and were the extra staff recruited?
- 03How are care packages reviewed when a person's needs increase or change?
- 04How are people involved in updating their care plans and choosing the support they receive?
- 05Which activities and community visits are currently available, and how are they matched to each person's interests?
This was an unannounced inspection that assessed all five CQC questions and included discussions with people, a relative, staff and managers, plus a review of selected records and quality checks. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 April 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 Hawthorns Aldridge
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 5 January 2016.
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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