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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Tudor Court Care Home

Goodpublished 1 January 2022, 4 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were assessed, the environment was checked, and medicines were generally given as prescribed, but opened liquid and cream medicines were not dated.
Effective?
Good
This focused inspection did not assess the Effective key question.
Caring?
Good
This focused inspection did not assess the Caring key question.
Responsive?
Good
This focused inspection did not assess the Responsive key question.
Well-led?
Good
The home was managed consistently and had systems to monitor safety and quality. Relatives generally found managers supportive and approachable, although communication with families was variable.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2022

Rated Good; inspectors found people safe and well-led, but opened liquid and cream medicines were not always dated.

This was an unannounced focused inspection on 9 and 14 December 2021. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led. They spoke with people, relatives, managers and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.

The home was rated Good overall, with Good ratings for Safe and Well-led. People received their medicines as prescribed, the environment was clean, and inspectors found enough staff during their visit. People and relatives said people felt safe and staff understood how to report safeguarding concerns.

There were some areas to improve. Opened liquid and cream medicines had not been dated. Some staff also reported staffing pressures and heavy use of agency staff, although staffing had recently improved and inspectors saw people cared for promptly. Communication with relatives was described as variable.

The previous inspection, published in January 2020, also rated the service Good. Since then, there had been a change in day-to-day management and the new registered manager had strengthened monitoring systems and introduced electronic care planning.

What inspectors praised
  • People felt safe

    People and relatives said they had no concerns about the quality of care and felt people were safe. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and how to report concerns.

    “People and their relatives told us they had no concerns about the quality of care at Tudor Court and felt that people living there were safe.” from the report
  • Safe staffing during the visit

    Inspectors saw enough staff to meet people's needs. People were attended to promptly and staff did not appear rushed.

    “During the inspection we observed the service had enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
  • Clean and infection-aware

    The environment was clean and inspectors were assured that infection prevention procedures, including protective equipment and visiting arrangements, were in place.

    “We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
  • Stronger management checks

    The new registered manager had strengthened systems for checking care records, medicines and infection control. Electronic care planning helped managers monitor care more closely.

    “The registered manager, supported by two deputy managers and the provider, showed a strong commitment to improving the quality of care by ensuring good governance at the service.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Liquid and cream medicines

    needs fixing

    Opened liquid and cream medicines had not been dated. Inspectors said this meant staff could not be sure the medicines were still safe and effective to use, and made a recommendation for improvement.

    “Medicines in a liquid or cream form had not been dated once opened.” from the report
  • Staffing pressures

    needs fixing

    Some staff said the home was sometimes short staffed and relied heavily on agency workers. They felt this could limit the care they wanted to provide, although staffing had improved recently and inspectors saw enough staff during the visit.

    “Some staff reported to us that they were sometimes short staffed and relied heavily on agency staff which meant they felt they could not always give the care to people that they wanted to.” from the report
  • Variable family communication

    minor

    One relative said they had to ask for information and there was no general newsletter. Another relative said communication had improved under the new manager.

    “People's relatives told us information from the service was variable.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are opened liquid and cream medicines dated now, and who checks this?
  2. 02How many permanent and agency staff are normally on duty for each shift?
  3. 03What is being done to reduce agency use and prevent staff shortages?
  4. 04How will relatives receive regular updates about the home and changes in their relative's care?
  5. 05What has changed in the electronic care planning system since the inspection?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not assessed in this visit. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 January 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2020

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with clear improvements since the previous inspection.

Inspectors visited without notice on 7 and 8 January 2020. They spoke with 10 people living at the home, one relative and seven staff. They observed care and reviewed care, medicines, staff and management records.

All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that medicines and risks were managed safely, staff were trained, and people were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.

The home had improved since the previous inspection in November 2018, when it was rated Requires Improvement and had breached regulations. At this inspection, the previous breaches had been resolved and the home was no longer in breach.

What inspectors praised
  • Safer medicines

    Inspectors observed medicines being given safely. Records showed people received medicines as prescribed, with extra guidance for medicines taken when needed.

    “Medicines were now managed in a safe way.” from the report
  • Risk management

    Risks such as falls, malnutrition and pressure sores were assessed, reviewed and acted on. Safety checks were also made around the building and equipment.

    “Risks to people were assessed and managed safely.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    People were treated with patience, kindness and respect. Staff supported privacy and encouraged people to remain as independent as possible.

    “We saw staff speak with people politely and with patience, allowing them time to respond and were willing to help them.” from the report
  • Activities and company

    The home had employed an activities co-ordinator. Inspectors saw people taking part in activities and found that people who preferred their rooms received one-to-one contact.

    “People were supported to take part in activities they enjoyed and were protected from the risk of social isolation.” from the report
  • Improvements since the last inspection

    The provider had acted on the previous inspection findings. Medicines, risk management and quality monitoring had improved, and the earlier regulatory breaches had been cleared.

    “At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How often are medicines audits and daily checks carried out now, and what happens if an error is found?
  2. 02How do you review staffing levels when residents' health or support needs change?
  3. 03What activities are available for someone who prefers one-to-one time or does not enjoy group activities?
  4. 04How are my relative's care plan, risks and preferences reviewed after they move in?
  5. 05How can relatives raise a complaint, and how will they be kept informed about the response?

This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions and both the care provided and the premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 January 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Tudor Court Care Home

4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. January 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Tudor Court Care Home →

  2. January 2020Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Tudor Court Care Home →

  3. January 2019Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. December 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. October 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. September 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. June 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. August 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. May 2012

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 May 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.

Next steps

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