CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Upalong Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including PPE, testing, visitor screening, hygiene, social distancing and plans to manage outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 infection-control arrangements and support for family contact.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 24 March 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than the full range of care.
Inspectors found plans to isolate people with COVID-19, enough protective equipment, visitor screening and regular testing for people and staff. They were assured that the home was managing infection risks in several key areas.
People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends. The home also provided activities based on people's wishes, including one-to-one and small-group activities.
The overall service and Safe question were both marked "Inspected but not rated". This report therefore does not give a full quality rating for the home.
Family contact
People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends by telephone and through visits arranged to reduce infection risk.
“People were well supported by staff to have telephone contact with their family and friends.” from the report
Infection control
The home had visitor screening, handwashing arrangements and protective equipment. Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed.
“There was a meet and greet protocol in place where visitors were asked screening questions, had their temperature taken and washed their hands before entering the home.” from the report
Testing and training
Staff had received COVID-19 safety training, and people and staff were regularly tested.
“Staff had received training on how to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and staff and people who lived in the home were regularly tested for COVID-19.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors screened and supported with handwashing and protective equipment now?
- 02What happens if a resident develops COVID-19, and how would you keep them separate from other residents?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested, and what happens after a positive result?
- 04What activities are currently offered, and how are they matched to each resident's wishes?
- 05How can residents keep in touch with family and friends if an in-person visit is not possible?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; it did not provide ratings for the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 April 2021 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, February 2019
Upalong Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with some improvements needed in end-of-life planning and complaints information.
Inspectors visited unannounced on 9 January 2019. They spoke with six people, two relatives, the provider and staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, training, recruitment and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were said to feel safe, receive kind and respectful care, and have their needs and choices supported.
Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practices, suitable care plans, good food and access to health professionals. They also found a clean environment, activities and an experienced staff team.
The home was already rated Good at the previous inspection and remained Good. Inspectors identified improvements needed in how end-of-life care was discussed and recorded. The complaints procedure also referred to an old regulator and needed updating.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe, and inspectors found enough staff to respond promptly when help was needed.
“People and relatives told us that they felt safe living at the service.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were observed treating people kindly, listening to them and protecting their dignity and privacy.
“We observed positive and caring interactions between staff and people living at the service throughout our inspection.” from the report
Good leadership and checks
The home had an established staff team and regular checks of medicines, health and safety, and service quality.
“Quality assurance processes remained effective and meant that the safety and quality of the service was maintained.” from the report
End-of-life planning needed improvement
needs fixingInspectors said discussions about people's end-of-life wishes had taken place, but the way this care was discussed and recorded needed further development.
“Improvements in how of end of life care is discussed and recorded should be made.” from the report
Complaints information was out of date
minorA complaints procedure was displayed, but it referred to the previous regulator. The provider said it would be updated.
“There was a complaints procedure displayed in the service which referenced the previous regulatory body.” from the report
- 01How do you now discuss and record each person's wishes about end-of-life care?
- 02Has the complaints procedure been updated, and how would my family member or I raise a concern?
- 03How often are care plans reviewed, and how will you involve my relative and our family?
- 04What activities and trips are currently available, and how are they matched to each person's interests?
- 05How would you adapt the environment if my relative's needs or mobility changed?
This was an unannounced inspection covering the overall service and all five CQC questions; the report says the previous overall rating was Good and remained unchanged. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 February 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.
Every inspection of Upalong Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- February 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodEffective: Good
- July 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 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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