CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Victoria Court Private Rest Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, April 2023
Victoria Court Private Rest Home rated Good; inspectors found safer care and stronger management after previous concerns.
The unannounced inspection took place on 20 March 2023. One inspector spoke with five people, two relatives and five staff. They reviewed care and medicine records, staff recruitment and supervision files, and management records.
The home was rated Good overall, with Safe and Well-led both rated Good. Inspectors found improvements in risk assessments, care planning, medicines management, infection control, staffing and quality monitoring. People and relatives gave positive feedback about the care and staff.
The previous rating was Requires Improvement, published in February 2022. The home had previously breached rules about safe care and treatment and good governance. Inspectors found these improvements had been made and that the home was no longer in breach.
Better risk management
The home had introduced electronic risk assessments and care planning. Inspectors found that risks were identified, updated and followed up after accidents.
“Improvements had been made in people's individual risk assessments and care plans.” from the report
Medicines managed safely
Staff were trained and checked as competent to give medicines. Inspectors found suitable systems for storage, ordering, administration, monitoring and disposal.
“Medicine records reviewed were in good order.” from the report
Positive staff feedback
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors also found enough staff to meet people's needs promptly.
“The staff do a lovely job here, they are great.” from the report
Stronger management oversight
The registered manager had improved audits, action plans and monitoring systems. Staff meetings were used to share lessons and support improvements.
“The registered manager had made improvements to quality monitoring systems, which provided better oversight to ensure people received safe care.” from the report
Improvement work was still continuing
minorThe provider still had an action plan and was working through improvements, including changes to the environment. Ask what remains outstanding and when it will be finished.
“The provider had an action plan in place for improvements at the service and they were working through these.” from the report
- 01Which improvements from the current action plan are still outstanding, especially those relating to the environment?
- 02How will you assess and update my relative's risks and care plan if their needs change?
- 03How many staff are normally on duty for the number and needs of people living here?
- 04How do you check that medicines continue to be given safely and as prescribed?
- 05What activities and support are available for my relative's interests, independence and personal choices?
This inspection reported ratings for Safe and Well-led only; the report does not give ratings or detailed findings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 April 2023 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 2022
Victoria Court Private Rest Home is rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind and responsive care, but risks, medicines and management systems were not reliable enough.
This was an unannounced inspection by two inspectors. They spoke with eight people, two relatives and six staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Effective, Caring and Responsive. People were treated with kindness and dignity. Staff were trained and supported, people spoke positively about the food, and staff helped people keep in touch with others and take part in activities.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for Safe and Well-led. Risk assessments and care records were not always up to date. There were medicines errors, some environmental safety risks and weak quality checks. The inspectors found breaches of Regulations 12 and 17.
Kind and respectful staff
Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were offered choices and encouraged to remain independent.
“Staff were caring and respectful in their interactions and people were seen talking and engaging with them.” from the report
Staff training and support
Staff received training relevant to their roles and regular supervision. Staff said they felt supported by senior staff.
“Staff received training to support them in their role.” from the report
Food and healthcare
People were positive about the food and were offered choices. Staff worked with healthcare professionals and responded to changes in people's health.
“People were positive about the food and confirmed they were offered a choice.” from the report
Personalised activities
Staff supported people with activities and helped them maintain relationships with family and friends, despite restrictions during the pandemic.
“During the inspection we saw staff painting nails, playing bowls and supporting people with their own activities.” from the report
Risks were not consistently managed
seriousRisk assessments for mobility, falls and skin integrity were not always current or detailed enough. A pressure sore had not been recorded in the relevant plan, and some environmental risks had not been dealt with promptly.
“There was a failure to assess risks to people and provide staff with guidance and direction on how to reduce those risks.” from the report
Medicines records and administration
seriousTwo transdermal patches were given on the wrong days. Liquid medicine did not have an opening date, and audits had not identified the problems.
“One person's patch had been administered a day early and one person's patch had been administered a day late.” from the report
Quality checks were ineffective
seriousThe home's checks had not found or resolved concerns about risk and medicines. Recommendations from Legionella and food safety inspections were not followed up in a timely way.
“The providers systems and processes for monitoring the quality of the service were not effective and improvements were needed to ensure people received safe care and treatment.” from the report
Care plans needed updating
needs fixingMost care plans had not been reviewed since May 2021. The home was transferring records to an electronic system, but only one care plan had been transferred at the time of inspection.
“Senior staff reviewed care plans, but changes and updates were not consistently completed.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
needs fixingCorridors had little signage or other guidance to help people find their rooms or communal areas. The CQC recommended that the home follow current best practice.
“We found a lack of signage or orientation clues in corridors” from the report
- 01What has been done to make sure mobility, falls and skin integrity risk assessments are current and give staff clear instructions?
- 02How are medicines now checked to prevent errors such as patches being given a day early or late?
- 03Have all recommendations from the Legionella and food safety inspections been completed, and can we see the action plan?
- 04How many care plans have now been reviewed or transferred to the electronic system?
- 05What changes have been made to signage and orientation areas for people living with dementia?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC key questions, including infection prevention and control; two inspectors reviewed records and spoke with people, relatives and staff. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 February 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.
Every inspection of Victoria Court Private Rest Home
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2023Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Victoria Court Private Rest Home →
- February 2022Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Victoria Court Private Rest Home →
- March 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 December 2010.
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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