CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Westhill Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People and relatives said they felt safe, and inspectors found suitable risk assessments, staffing, recruitment, medicines and fire safety arrangements. The home initially lacked checks on visiting professionals' COVID-19 vaccination status, but acted immediately when this was raised.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not looked at in this focused inspection. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not looked at in this focused inspection. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not looked at in this focused inspection. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found a positive culture, clear responsibilities, regular audits and good involvement of people, relatives and staff. People were supported to express their views and live more independently.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, but checks on visiting professionals' COVID-19 vaccination status were initially missing.
This was an unannounced focused inspection carried out on 31 January, 03 February and 07 February 2022. Two inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They also reviewed care, medicine, fire safety, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall, with Good ratings for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found people felt safe, staff understood their needs, medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff to provide support.
The home did not initially have a system to check the COVID-19 vaccination status of all relevant visiting professionals. Inspectors said this increased the risk of COVID-19 entering the home. The provider acted immediately and put a checking process in place.
The overall rating stayed Good. The other three question ratings were carried forward from the previous comprehensive inspection because this inspection focused on Safe and Well-led.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors they felt safe with staff. Staff understood safeguarding and how to report concerns.
“People who used the service and their relatives told us they felt safe with staff.” from the report
Suitable staffing
Inspectors saw enough staff available and found that people did not have to wait for support. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“We observed there were staff effectively deployed at the service.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines records included important information such as allergies and instructions for medicines taken when needed. Staff had training and competency checks, and medicines were audited weekly.
“The provider had undertaken weekly audits of medicines to identify and address shortfalls.” from the report
Positive culture
People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management. Inspectors saw staff treating people kindly and supporting their independence.
“We observed staff interacting with people in a kind and caring manner.” from the report
Listening to feedback
People, relatives and staff had opportunities to give views and suggestions. The provider used meetings, surveys and discussions to help improve the service.
“People and their relatives had opportunities to attend meetings and provide feedback on the service.” from the report
Vaccination checks for visitors
needs fixingAt the time of the inspection, the home did not have systems to check the COVID-19 vaccination status of all relevant visiting professionals before they entered. Inspectors said this increased the risk of people contracting COVID-19, but the provider acted immediately.
“This increased the risk of people contracting COVID-19 from those entering the service.” from the report
- 01How do you now check the COVID-19 vaccination status of visiting professionals before they enter the home?
- 02How do you make sure people's individual risk assessments stay up to date when their needs change?
- 03How are medicines taken when needed reviewed to ensure they are used only as a last option?
- 04How can relatives and people using the home give feedback or raise a concern?
- 05How do you involve healthcare professionals when someone needs support with risks such as choking?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 March 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, December 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with minor gaps in two staff work histories.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 27 October 2017. The inspector spoke with one person, two relatives, the manager and two care staff. They also observed care and checked care plans, medicines, staff files, training, complaints and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found detailed risk plans, enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable training and good support for people's health needs.
People were involved in decisions about their care, meals and activities. Staff understood people's communication, respected privacy and dignity, and supported independence. Care plans were personal and regularly reviewed.
The previous inspection found breaches of regulations. This inspection found the required actions had been taken and that the home had improved. Inspectors recommended improving recruitment checks because two staff work histories were incomplete, although the provider dealt with this after the inspection.
Individual risk support
Risk assessments were detailed and helped people stay safe while doing activities and developing independence. Staff used clear plans to prevent problems from escalating.
“Risks to people were routinely assessed and plans were implemented to ensure people's safety.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's routines, interests, communication methods and goals. Activities were tailored to what people enjoyed, including swimming, shopping, music and plane spotting.
“People received care that was person-centred and tailored to their needs.” from the report
Choice and independence
People took part in house meetings, shopping, meal preparation and household tasks. Staff supported people to make choices and learn practical skills.
“People were supported to develop skills and independence.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff knew people well and respected their privacy and dignity. Inspectors observed friendly interactions and staff responding to people's individual communication.
“People were supported by staff that knew them well.” from the report
Improved management checks
The home had introduced regular audits, surveys and meetings. Inspectors found that actions from checks were recorded and followed through.
“The provider carried out regular audits to assure the quality of the care that people received.” from the report
Incomplete work histories
needs fixingTwo of the three staff recruitment files checked had incomplete work histories. The provider reviewed all files after the inspection, but inspectors recommended reviewing recruitment procedures.
“We recommend that the provider reviews their recruitment practices to ensure that a full work history is gathered before recruiting staff.” from the report
- 01What changes were made to recruitment procedures after two staff work histories were found to be incomplete?
- 02How will you keep my relative's risk assessments and care plans updated as their needs change?
- 03How will my relative be supported to communicate choices if they cannot express them verbally?
- 04What activities are currently available that match my relative's interests and goals?
- 05How can my relative and our family give feedback or raise a concern, and how will it be followed up?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five quality areas, and the previous breaches were found to have been addressed. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 December 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 Westhill Care Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2016Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 February 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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