CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Walshaw Hall
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, May 2023
Walshaw Hall was rated Good; inspectors found safe, respectful care, but staffing and some care records needed attention.
This was an unannounced inspection. Inspectors visited on 28 March 2023 and reviewed evidence up to 4 April 2023. They spoke with 11 people living at the home, six relatives and nine staff. They also checked care records, medicines, recruitment and safety records.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors rated Safe and Well-led as Good. They found that people felt safe and were treated with dignity and respect. Medicines were managed safely, healthcare support was available, and the home was clean and well maintained.
There were some areas to watch. Some care records needed reviewing and updating while a new electronic system was being introduced. People and relatives also said the home could sometimes be short staffed, although regular agency staff were used and recruitment was continuing.
The previous inspection, published in December 2019, also rated the home Good. This inspection found that the Good ratings for Safe and Well-led remained unchanged.
Respectful care
People and relatives said staff provided kind care and treated people with dignity and respect. Inspectors also observed polite and friendly interactions.
“People and their relatives told us they were well cared for, and staff treated them with dignity and respect.” from the report
Safe medicines
Inspectors found that prescribed medicines, including controlled drugs, were securely stored and managed safely. Managers carried out regular checks.
“People's prescribed medicines were managed and administered safely.” from the report
Healthcare support
The home had regular support from healthcare professionals and made referrals when needed. This helped staff respond to changing health needs.
“The service had good support from the GP, who visited weekly.” from the report
Good management oversight
Managers used audits, checks and an action plan to monitor the home and identify improvements. People and relatives were positive about the management.
“Managers carried out audits and checks, reviewing standards across the home.” from the report
Some care records needed updating
needs fixingA new electronic record system was being introduced. Inspectors found that some records did not yet give complete or up-to-date guidance for staff.
“Some records provided good information to guide staff; others need to be reviewed and updated.” from the report
Staffing pressures
needs fixingRecruitment and retention had been difficult. People said the home could sometimes be short staffed, although regular agency staff were used and recruitment was continuing.
“I must admit that at times it has seemed short staffed” from the report
- 01How many permanent staff and agency staff are currently working on the floor where my relative would live?
- 02How do you make sure staffing is safe when there are vacancies or staff absences?
- 03Has the new electronic care planning system now been introduced, and how do you check that records are complete and up to date?
- 04How will my relative's changing health needs be monitored and referred to healthcare professionals?
- 05What improvements from the inspection action plan have been completed?
This was an unannounced inspection that rated Safe and Well-led; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not rated in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 May 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, December 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care, with accessible information still needing further improvement.
Inspectors visited over 26 and 27 November 2019. The first day was unannounced and the second was announced. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked medicines, care records, staff files, training and safety records.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, kind and respectful care, personalised care records, varied activities and clear management oversight.
The home had improved since its previous inspection, which was rated Requires Improvement in December 2018. Earlier breaches about staffing, training, care records and management oversight had been addressed, and the home was no longer in breach of regulations.
Walshaw Hall was expected to close because of low occupancy, with people moving to The Beeches. Inspectors also recommended improving how information is provided in different formats and languages.
Improvements since the last inspection
The home addressed the earlier problems with staffing, staff training, care records and management oversight. Inspectors found that the related breaches had been resolved.
“At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were recorded, stored and checked safely. Staff had medicines training and regular competency assessments.
“The management and administration of people's prescribed medicines was safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as kind, respectful and responsive. Inspectors observed friendly interactions and discreet personal care.
“People were treated in a kind and respectful manner.” from the report
Accessible information
minorInformation was not routinely available in different languages or formats. Inspectors recommended that the home review and improve these arrangements.
“Information was not routinely available in different languages or different formats.” from the report
- 01What is the current position on the planned closure of Walshaw Hall and any moves to The Beeches?
- 02How will you make sure staffing levels remain sufficient while people are moving between buildings?
- 03How do you provide care information in accessible formats or different languages when a person needs this?
- 04How will my relative and our family be involved in reviewing and updating their electronic care plan?
- 05Has end-of-life training been completed across the staff team, or is it still limited to identified staff champions?
This was a planned two-day inspection covering all five key questions, including a specialist review of medicines on the second day. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 December 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 Walshaw Hall
6 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2015Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 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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