CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Walstead Place Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Medicines, staffing, recruitment, risk management and infection control were all found to be managed appropriately.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed before they moved in. Staff had relevant training, worked with healthcare professionals and supported people with food, drink and healthcare needs.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. People were offered choices and encouraged to remain as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and included people's preferences, interests, communication needs and cultural or religious wishes. A varied programme of activities was available and complaints were recorded and investigated.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors found exceptional and distinctive leadership. People, relatives and staff were closely involved in developing the home, and the home worked with community organisations to improve people's wellbeing.
What inspectors found, October 2022
Rated Good overall, with Outstanding leadership and inspectors finding safe, effective, kind and responsive care.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 28 July 2022. One inspector spoke with seven people, six staff members and six relatives. They observed care, reviewed five care plans and checked other records, including infection control arrangements.
Inspectors found that people were safe and received effective, person-centred care. Medicines were managed safely, staffing levels met people's needs, care plans reflected individual preferences, and staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect.
The home was rated Good in Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. It was rated Outstanding for Well-led. This means inspectors found exceptional leadership and a culture that improved high-quality, person-centred care. The overall rating stayed Good, the same as at the previous inspection published in January 2018.
Safe care
Staff understood safeguarding procedures and acted to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. Medicines, staffing and environmental risks were also managed safely.
“People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited, and they were protected from the risks of discrimination, abuse and avoidable harm.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Staff offered choices and supported people to keep their independence.
“People were supported with kindness and compassion.” from the report
Personalised activities
The home offered a wide range of activities and involved people in deciding what they wanted to do. Religious and cultural needs were also considered.
“There was a varied range of activities on offer which included, music, arts and crafts, quizzes, exercise and visits from external entertainers.” from the report
Strong leadership
The home involved people, relatives and staff in decisions and worked with local organisations. Inspectors found that this improved people's wellbeing and helped people feel part of the community.
“There were consistently high levels of constructive engagement with staff and people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and update my relative's care plan and risk assessments after they move in?
- 02How would you support my relative's particular dietary, mobility and healthcare needs?
- 03Which activities would match my relative's interests, culture and faith, and how could they help choose activities?
- 04How would you support my relative to stay in control of daily decisions and remain as independent as possible?
- 05How would you record and respond to any complaint or concern raised by my relative or our family?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five rating areas and infection prevention and control arrangements. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 October 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.
What inspectors found, January 2018
Walstead Place Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with some delays to medicines and some concerns not resolved promptly.
Inspectors visited on 21 and 22 December 2017. They spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a health professional. They observed care and checked care records, medicines records, staff files, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe, treated with kindness and respect, and supported to make choices. Staff supported health needs, meals, activities and independence.
There were some smaller problems. One person's medicines had sometimes been delayed, an emergency stair route was dirty, and the conservatory was cluttered. Two people said concerns had taken a period to resolve, although the manager had taken action and one complaint was still open.
The home remained Good, the same rating as at the previous inspection on 13 September 2015. The report says quality checks identified shortfalls and improvement plans were used.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives were happy with staff's kindness and compassion. Staff supported privacy, dignity and emotional wellbeing.
“People using the service and their relatives were happy about the compassion and kindness of the staff.” from the report
Personalised support
Staff knew people's preferences, routines, histories and goals. People and families were involved in planning and reviewing care.
“Care plans showed people's goals, histories, individual preferences, likes and dislikes and the support they required to achieve these.” from the report
Good staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff to provide care safely and on time. Recruitment checks, training, supervision and appraisals were in place.
“The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff deployed to provide safe care in a timely manner.” from the report
Activities and independence
People could choose from a wide range of activities and were encouraged to maintain skills and independence.
“People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.” from the report
Active quality checks
The manager used audits and incident reviews to identify problems and make changes. The report gives an example of increased staffing helping reduce falls.
“These were analysed to identify trends and patterns and to develop plans to minimise the risk of a recurrence.” from the report
Some medicine delays
seriousOne person needed medicines every two and a half hours, outside the usual medicine rounds. There had been delays, although the manager had taken action to ensure the medicines were given at the correct times.
“There had been times when staff had delayed administering their medicines.” from the report
Cleaning and clutter
needs fixingInspectors saw one dirty emergency stair route and a cluttered conservatory. The manager later reported that the stairs had been cleaned and the conservatory cleared.
“We observed one emergency stair route was dirty and that the conservatory area was cluttered.” from the report
Some complaints took time to resolve
needs fixingTwo people said their concerns had remained unresolved for a period. The manager had resolved the issue and was working with a family and external agencies on one complaint that remained open.
“However, two people indicated that their concerns went unresolved over a period.” from the report
More trips outside the home
minorTwo people wanted more opportunities to go outside the home, beyond the gardens. They were discussing this with managers.
“Two people told us they would like more opportunities to go outside the home, for example walking beyond the gardens” from the report
- 01How do you make sure medicines needed every two and a half hours are given on time, outside the usual medicine rounds?
- 02What checks are now made to keep emergency routes clean and the conservatory clear of stored activity items?
- 03What happened to the complaint that was still open at the inspection, and how are families updated while complaints are being investigated?
- 04What opportunities are currently available for people who want to walk or take trips beyond the home's gardens?
- 05How are care plans and risk assessments reviewed when a person's mobility, health or support needs change?
This was a planned inspection covering the overall service and all five CQC areas, including care, accommodation, records, medicines, staffing and management. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 January 2018 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 Walstead Place Care Home
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Outstanding
- January 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 July 2013.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
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Most charge £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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