CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Tolcarne Avenue
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that staff understood safeguarding and risk procedures, staffing matched people's assessed needs, and medicines were stored and administered safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, staff had suitable training, and people were supported with food, healthcare and decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. Care plans reflected people's histories, wishes and preferences, and independence was encouraged.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and people were supported with communication, activities, relationships, religious needs and personal goals. A complaints process was in place.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The registered manager was described as supportive and approachable. Audits were detailed, staff could share ideas, and the home worked with outside professionals.
What inspectors found, November 2019
Tolcarne Avenue was rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some areas needing redecoration and repair.
The inspection took place on 28 October 2019. One inspector reviewed care plans for all three people, staff recruitment and training records, medicines records, policies and quality checks. They spoke with one person, one relative, two care staff and the registered manager.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that staff understood safeguarding, managed risks, gave medicines safely and had suitable training. People received personalised care, had choices about food and activities, and were supported to access healthcare.
The home had a registered manager and detailed quality checks. Staff and relatives said the home was well run and approachable. Inspectors noted that some areas needed redecoration and repair, and the manager said this work was scheduled imminently. The previous inspection, published on 31 May 2017, had also rated the home Good.
Safe support
Staff understood safeguarding and risk management. Inspectors found that medicines were safely stored, administered and checked.
“Medicines were stored securely, and medication administration records in use were accurate, and regularly checked for any mistakes.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors observed warm interactions and found that staff knew people well and respected them as individuals.
“People were supported with kindness and care from staff.” from the report
Good management checks
The home used detailed audits to monitor care and address issues. Staff felt able to share ideas and take on responsibilities.
“Detailed quality assurance systems had been developed which monitored the quality of service being delivered and the running of the service.” from the report
Repairs and redecoration
minorInspectors found that some parts of the home needed redecoration and repair. The manager said the work was scheduled imminently, but the report does not confirm that it had been completed.
“Some areas within the service were in need of re-decoration and repair.” from the report
- 01Have the areas needing redecoration and repair now been completed?
- 02How are positive behaviour support plans reviewed, and how do you make sure support remains least restrictive?
- 03How will my relative be involved in writing and reviewing their care plan, including if they communicate without speech?
- 04How do you check that medicines, including 'as and when required' medicines, are given safely and consistently?
- 05What activities and personal goals would you support my relative to pursue?
This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC questions and both the care and premises; one person and one relative shared their views, and records for all three people were reviewed. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 November 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, May 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with all five areas remaining Good.
This was a comprehensive, announced inspection. The inspector visited on 27 April 2017 and spoke to relatives by telephone on 3 May 2017. They observed care, spoke with people, relatives and staff, and checked care, medicine, staff and quality records.
The home supported three people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. Inspectors found people felt safe, staff understood risks and safeguarding, medicines were managed safely, and there were enough trained staff.
People were supported to make choices, stay in contact with health professionals, follow their interests and take part in activities. Care was described as kind and respectful. The home had a complaints process and quality checks. The overall rating remained Good, as did each of the five areas.
Safe independence
Risk assessments helped people take part in activities and remain as independent as possible. Staff understood how to balance safety with people's rights to take risks.
“People had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as independent as they could be in a safe manner.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness. Inspectors saw people being given privacy, dignity and encouragement to be independent.
“We observed positive interactions between staff and people who used the service. People were at ease and comfortable in the presence of staff.” from the report
Personalised support
Support plans reflected each person's needs and were reviewed regularly. People and relatives were involved where possible.
“Support plans were personalised and written for each individual and had been reviewed regularly.” from the report
Activities and choice
People were supported to follow their interests, take part in activities and choose their food and drink.
“People were supported to follow their interests and join in activities.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The manager and provider carried out audits covering areas such as health and safety, medicines and care plans. Action plans were used where needed.
“A number of quality audits had been carried out by both the registered manager and a provider representative.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you involve my relative and our family in reviewing their personalised support plan?
- 02How will you support my relative to take part in activities and follow their own interests?
- 03How will you explain medicines to my relative and support the way they prefer to take them?
- 04How will you support my relative to make choices and give consent to their care?
- 05How can my relative make a complaint using the easy-read complaints procedure?
This was a comprehensive, announced inspection of the whole service on 27 April 2017, followed by telephone calls to relatives on 3 May 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 May 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 Tolcarne Avenue
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 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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