CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Waltham House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risk assessments, staffing, recruitment, medicines management, safeguarding and infection control arrangements were found to be suitable.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers were visible and approachable, and staff, residents and relatives could give feedback. Audits and other checks gave managers and the provider oversight of the home.
What inspectors found, April 2023
Waltham House is rated Good; inspectors found people felt safe, medicines were managed safely and the home was well-led.
This was an unannounced inspection on 8 March 2023. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They also reviewed care records, medicine records, recruitment files, safety checks and audits.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors found people felt safe, staffing levels were suitable, medicines were administered safely and staff understood how to respond to abuse. Infection prevention arrangements were also considered satisfactory.
The home was also rated Good for being well-led. Managers were described as visible and approachable, and quality checks were used to monitor the service. This rating remained Good, as it had been at the previous inspection published in November 2017.
Only Safe and Well-led were inspected during this visit. The ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were not reassessed and the previous ratings were used in calculating the overall rating.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe living at the home. Staff had safeguarding training and knew how to respond to concerns about abuse.
“People were happy with the care provided and they felt safe living at the home.” from the report
Safe medicines practice
Medicines were ordered, stored, administered and disposed of safely. Records showed medicines were given at the correct time and signed for.
“Medicines were safely administered by staff who were trained to do so.” from the report
Suitable staffing
Staffing levels were regularly reviewed against occupancy and people's needs. Recruitment checks included references, identification and DBS checks.
“The staffing levels were safe and regularly reviewed.” from the report
Open atmosphere
Inspectors found a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Staff, residents and relatives had opportunities to share their views through meetings and surveys.
“There was a warm and welcoming atmosphere within the home, and it was evident that the staff put people first.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you making sure staffing levels remain suitable when occupancy or people's care needs increase?
- 02How do you monitor the five people with authorised DoLS, and what is the progress of any further applications?
- 03How is the well-being action plan providing meaningful activities and one-to-one time for my relative?
- 04What did your most recent medicines and care audits find, and what follow-up actions are still open?
- 05How are residents' and relatives' feedback from meetings and surveys being used to change the service?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and the previous ratings were carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 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, November 2017
Aabletone Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, but three pressure-relieving mattresses may not have been set correctly.
This was an unannounced inspection on 12 October 2017. Inspectors spoke with 19 people living at the home, two visitors and staff. They observed care, checked five care records and 10 medicine records, and reviewed staffing, training, complaints and quality checks.
The overall rating was Good. All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The report says these ratings remained Good since the previous inspection in June 2015.
Inspectors found caring and respectful staff, safe medicines systems, enough staff for people's needs, suitable training and good support with food and drink. People had care plans, activities and opportunities to make choices about their daily lives.
There were some matters to address. Three pressure-relieving mattresses may not have been set correctly, and some care plans did not contain enough detail about supporting a person using oxygen. The manager was told about these issues and said checks or improvements would be made.
Kind and respectful care
People had warm relationships with staff. Inspectors saw staff using a patient and gentle approach, while respecting people's choices, dignity and privacy.
“We also saw that people were treated with a caring and kind manner by the staff.” from the report
Food and hydration
People spoke positively about the food and were offered choices. Care plans included people's likes, dislikes, allergies and extra support where needed.
“People told us other choices were always available if they did not want the main meal option.” from the report
Safe medicines
Nurses followed a safe process, checked medicines with people and stayed while they took them. Records and medicine supplies were checked regularly.
“Medicine administration records were accurate and up to date and they showed when people were given their medicines or the reasons why they had not had them.” from the report
Activities and daily life
The home offered group and one-to-one activities, trips to local shops and visits from entertainers and community groups.
“There was a variety of suitable social and therapeutic activities for people to take part in.” from the report
Open management
Staff said they could share concerns and suggestions. Audits identified areas for improvement, and the report says action had been taken on team communication.
“The registered manager explained that they always maintained an open door policy for everyone at the home.” from the report
Pressure-relieving mattresses
needs fixingInspectors found that three mattresses may not have been set at the correct level to work properly. The manager was told and said a full audit would be completed.
“However we saw that three of the mattresses may not have been set at the correct level to function correctly.” from the report
Detail in an oxygen care plan
needs fixingSome care plans lacked detail. One plan explained oxygen support but did not fully describe how to keep the person's nose and skin comfortable while using oxygen therapy.
“The care plan did explain how to do this but didn't fully set out how to help them to keep their nose and skin area comfortable while using oxygen therapy.” from the report
- 01What was the outcome of the full audit of the three pressure-relieving mattresses?
- 02How do you now check that pressure-relieving mattresses are set correctly for each person?
- 03How are care plans checked to make sure they contain enough detail for people using oxygen therapy?
- 04What changes were made to improve team communication after the previous quality checks?
- 05How do you make sure people who do not want group activities receive suitable one-to-one support?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions, and the report says the ratings remained Good from the previous inspection in June 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 November 2017 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 Waltham House
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
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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