CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Together Nest Lane
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, January 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and highly personalised support, with one medicine-recording incident reviewed.
This was an announced, comprehensive inspection on 3 January 2019, with a telephone call to staff on 4 January. One inspector reviewed care records, recruitment files, audits and other documents, and spoke with people, staff and healthcare commissioners.
The home supports up to eight people with mental health needs and younger adults. Five people lived there at the inspection, and two were receiving personal care. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated with kindness and involved in decisions about their care.
The home supported independence, recovery and involvement in the local community. Staff had suitable training and support, and managers used audits, meetings and feedback to improve the service.
The overall rating was Good. All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The previous inspection in 2017 was not rated because personal care was not being provided at that time.
Personalised support
People were involved in planning their care, and records included their values, interests, preferences and future goals.
“People's care was centred around them as individuals and they were fully engaged in making decisions about their care.” from the report
Safety planning
Risks such as self-harm, medicines, falls and violence were assessed and reviewed while staff also promoted people's independence.
“Risks to people's safety were comprehensively assessed to ensure they were effectively managed.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw staff treating people with warmth, kindness, compassion and empathy. People's privacy and dignity were respected.
“Throughout our inspection we observed staff treating people with warmth, kindness, compassion and empathy.” from the report
Recovery and independence
The home helped people build coping strategies, manage their wellbeing and take part in activities and support groups in the community.
“Together Nest Lane focussed on developing people's independent living skills and coping strategies for them to move on to live fulfilled lives within their local communities.” from the report
Strong management
Managers used audits, clinical governance meetings, staff supervision and people's feedback to monitor the service and identify improvements.
“Comprehensive and robust systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service.” from the report
Medicine timing incident
minorRecords showed one medicine was given without the appropriate gap after the previous dose. The provider investigated this, reinforced the medicine procedure and reviewed staff competency.
“For example, one person was administered their medicine without an appropriate gap following the previous dose.” from the report
- 01How will you assess and review my relative's specific risks, including any risk of self-harm or distress?
- 02What checks are made to ensure medicines are given at the right time and recorded correctly?
- 03How will my relative be involved in writing and reviewing their care plan and recovery goals?
- 04What training and supervision will staff supporting my relative receive?
- 05How will you support my relative to use community activities, peer support and mental health services?
This was an announced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions; one person spoke with the inspector, while people receiving personal care chose not to discuss their experience. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 January 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.
What inspectors found, January 2018
Inspected but not rated; systems were in place, but inspectors could not fully assess care because no regulated personal care was being provided.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 21 and 22 November 2017. One inspector reviewed records and spoke with one person, three staff members and the deputy manager.
Five people were living in the home, but they were managing all their own personal care. Because the home was not providing a regulated activity at the time, the CQC could not give ratings for safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness or leadership.
Inspectors found systems ready for use if regulated personal care began again. These included safeguarding procedures, risk assessments, staff checks and training, medicines arrangements, care planning, complaints handling and quality checks.
The person spoken with said staff were kind and respectful. However, the CQC could not test how well the systems worked for people receiving regulated personal care.
Safeguarding and recruitment
Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. Recruitment checks included criminal record checks and references.
“The staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service.” from the report
Staff training and support
Staff had induction training, ongoing training and regular supervision. Training covered safeguarding, infection control, health and safety and supporting people with complex mental health needs.
“Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles.” from the report
Kind and respectful approach
The person spoken with described staff as kind and respectful. Staff understood the importance of dignity, privacy and supporting independence.
“The person told us that they thought all staff were kind and respectful, they understood how to support people in a person centred manner, and promoted each person's independence.” from the report
Systems for feedback and improvement
The home had complaint procedures, feedback questionnaires and quality audits. Previous complaints had been answered promptly and addressed.
“Quality audit systems were in place across all areas of the service.” from the report
Care was not fully tested
minorThe inspection could not show how effective the home's systems were for people receiving regulated personal care. All five areas were therefore left unrated.
“We were unable to assess the effectiveness of any of these systems as they were not in use for people receiving a regulated activity.” from the report
- 01Is the home now providing regulated personal care, and if so, what has changed since this inspection?
- 02How are current residents' risks assessed and reviewed, and how are safeguarding concerns reported?
- 03How are medicines stored, administered and recorded for residents who need support?
- 04How are residents involved in their care plans and in decisions about their support?
- 05What current quality audits, feedback and complaint records can families see?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC areas, but the service was not providing regulated personal care, so none of the areas could be rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 January 2018 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 Together Nest Lane
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2019Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2018Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedEffective: Inspected but not ratedCaring: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 March 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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Fees, photos and reviews from families
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89 live-in carers within about an hour of North Northamptonshire
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 £1,260 a week. 76 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“If you bump into her in the night on her way to the bathroom she will still inquire how you are and if everything is alright.”
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.