CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Pines Residential Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control arrangements were safe. They found effective use of protective equipment, testing, cleaning, visitor checks and outbreak management.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Requires improvement
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Inadequate
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, June 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control during a recent COVID-19 outbreak.
This was a targeted inspection on 27 January 2022. Inspectors checked infection prevention and control, and asked about staffing pressures linked to COVID-19. The visit was announced two hours beforehand.
The home had recently had a COVID-19 outbreak. Inspectors found that staff followed national and local guidance, used protective equipment properly, carried out regular testing and kept the home clean. They were assured that infection outbreaks could be prevented and managed safely.
There were strong checks for visitors, including pre-booking, screening questions, temperature checks, negative lateral flow tests and vaccination evidence. The service was meeting the requirement for non-exempt staff and visiting professionals to be vaccinated.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a quality rating for the home or a full rating for the five key areas. It only reports what inspectors found about infection control and staffing pressures during this targeted visit.
Infection control
Staff followed national and local guidance during the outbreak. Inspectors found robust procedures and regular checks to reduce the spread of infection.
“There were robust policies and procedures in place and the manager, and the staff team had worked hard to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 within the home.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean and hygienic when inspectors visited. Protective equipment and hand sanitiser were available throughout the home.
“Cleaning was being managed throughout the home in accordance with government guidelines and the home was clean and hygienic on the day we visited.” from the report
Visitor safety
Visitors were screened and visits were pre-booked. A separate visiting pod reduced the need for visitors to enter the main home.
“There were robust checks in place to mitigate the risks associated with visitors to the home.” from the report
Testing and vaccination
People living in the home and staff took part in regular COVID-19 testing. The service also supported access to vaccinations and met the vaccination requirement for relevant staff and professionals.
“All staff and people living at the service took part in a regular programme of testing for COVID-19 and the manager had clear oversight of this process.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now, and when were they last checked?
- 02How would you manage a new COVID-19 outbreak, including visits from family members?
- 03How do you monitor staffing pressures when staff are absent because of COVID-19?
- 04Are staff and visiting professionals still meeting the required COVID-19 vaccination rules?
- 05What ratings or inspection findings apply to areas that were not covered by this targeted visit?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated and other areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 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.
What inspectors found, September 2020
Rated Requires Improvement and still in special measures; inspectors found recent improvements, but the responsive rating remained Inadequate because it was not inspected.
Two inspectors carried out a focused inspection on 25 August 2020. They looked at Safe, Effective and Well-led. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care and checked care, medicine, staffing and management records.
The inspectors found significant improvements since the previous inspection. Medicines, risk assessments, infection control, staff checks, training and management audits had improved. They also saw caring and patient care, and received positive feedback from people, relatives and staff.
The overall rating improved from Inadequate to Requires Improvement. However, the improvements were recent and needed to be sustained. Caring and Responsive were not inspected during this visit. The previous Inadequate rating for Responsive remained, so the home stayed in special measures.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw care delivered patiently. People appeared comfortable with staff, and relatives said staff were kind and respectful.
“We observed care being delivered in the home and saw this was done in a caring and patient manner.” from the report
Safer medicines
Medicine records were accurate, guidance was available for medicines given when needed, and staff competency had been checked.
“Medicines were managed safely.” from the report
Improved risk and infection control
Risk assessments, safety checks, accident reviews and infection control systems had improved. Staff had enough protective equipment and knew how to use it safely.
“There were robust infection prevention control procedures including those relating to COVID-19 in place.” from the report
Better staff support
Staff had improved training, induction, supervision and appraisal. Training included dementia awareness, person-centred care and moving and handling.
“All new staff employed had received an induction in accordance with nationally recognised standards for care staff.” from the report
Improved management oversight
The home had introduced audits and an improvement plan. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed, and reportable events were notified to CQC.
“The management team's oversight of the home had improved, this was evidenced with discussions held throughout the inspection.” from the report
Improvements need to last
needs fixingThe improvements were recent. The home still needed to prove that they were embedded and could be maintained over time.
“As these changes were recent the provider was aware the improvements needed to be sustained however, they had made significant progress.” from the report
Special measures remain
seriousThe home remained under CQC special measures because an Inadequate rating remained in a key question from the previous inspection.
“Therefore, this service is still in special measures.” from the report
- 01What evidence can you show that the recent improvements in medicines, risk assessments and management audits have been sustained?
- 02What has changed in Responsive care since the previous Inadequate rating, and when will this area be fully reviewed?
- 03How are medicines prescribed to be given 'as required' monitored and audited now?
- 04How do you check that staff continue to receive the training, supervision and competency checks described in the report?
- 05What progress has been made with the improvement plan since this inspection, and what remains to be completed?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; Caring and Responsive were not inspected, and previous ratings were used for those areas and in the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 September 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.
Every inspection of The Pines Residential Care Home
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- June 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at The Pines Residential Care Home →
- September 2020Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at The Pines Residential Care Home →
- October 2019Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- December 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 January 2011.
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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