CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Whitegates Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People said they felt safe. Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, enough staff, appropriate recruitment checks, safe medicines procedures and good infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and care plans gave staff clear guidance. People were supported with food, drinks, healthcare and their legal rights and choices.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw people being treated with dignity and supported to make choices and stay as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. However, activities were limited and some people's individual interests had not always been explored.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Staff, relatives and professionals gave positive feedback about the management. Audits, meetings and feedback systems were used to monitor care and identify improvements.
What inspectors found, November 2019
Whitegates Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care, but activities were limited.
This was an unannounced inspection on 14 October 2019. The inspectors spoke with five people living in the home, two relatives, eight staff members and two visiting professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and were treated kindly. Inspectors found personalised care plans, suitable staffing, safe medicines systems and good support from health professionals.
The main weakness was the limited activities programme. The home had some group activities, but some people's interests had not always been explored. Inspectors recommended that the home continue developing meaningful activities.
The overall Good rating means inspectors found a good standard of care at the time of this inspection. It was the same overall rating as at the previous inspection, published on 13 April 2017.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe, and staff understood people's risks and how to reduce them. Inspectors also found enough staff on duty and safe recruitment checks.
“People and their relatives told us they felt safe living at the home.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, life histories and desired outcomes. Staff knew people well and used this information to provide individual care.
“People's care plans were personalised, detailed and centred around them.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff supporting people's dignity, choices and independence.
“People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring.” from the report
Safe medicines and monitoring
Inspectors found medicines were ordered, stored and recorded safely. The home also checked accidents, incidents and other areas of care through regular audits.
“The home managed their medicines safely.” from the report
Good teamwork and leadership
Staff said they felt supported and worked well together. Management used meetings, audits and feedback to share learning and improve the service.
“The staff team worked and got on well together demonstrating team work.” from the report
Limited activities
needs fixingThere were only a limited number of planned activities. Some people's interests had not always been explored, and the home was asked to continue developing group and one-to-one activities.
“Activity schedules were limited. The registered manager told us they did not employ dedicated staff or hours to provide and organise activities.” from the report
- 01What activities are now available, including one-to-one activities based on each person's interests?
- 02How do you make sure new residents' hobbies and interests are identified and included in their care plans?
- 03How do you decide whether there are enough staff on duty as people's needs change?
- 04How are relatives involved in reviewing care plans and decisions about care?
- 05How do you check that medicines continue to be given at the correct time and recorded accurately?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and both the care provided and the premises were looked at. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 November 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.
What inspectors found, April 2017
Whitegates Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with some improvements still being followed up.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 23 January 2017, with a further date also recorded as 24 January 2017. One inspector spoke with four residents, 12 staff members and one relative. They also checked care records, staff files, training, medicines, complaints and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, suitable care plans, kind staff and improved checks on the quality of care.
The inspection checked improvements required after the previous inspection in July 2015. The home had previously breached rules about staffing and good governance. Inspectors said the required improvements had been made and found no current breaches.
Safe medicines
Medicines records included photographs, allergies and instructions for medicines given when needed. Inspectors found medicines were managed safely.
“Medicines were managed safely and administered as prescribed. This kept people safe from the risks associated with them.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff being patient and compassionate. Staff knew residents well and supported their privacy, dignity and independence.
“During the inspection we saw staff had been kind, patient and caring whilst delivering care.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans recorded people's health needs, preferences and interests. Staff had access to these records and responded to people's wishes.
“People's care plans contained information about people's individual preferences and interests.” from the report
Improved oversight
The home had improved its audits and used surveys and meetings to review the service. Inspectors said shortfalls were identified and actions were recorded.
“The service had improved the quality assurance systems used to monitor and improve the quality of the service.” from the report
Supervision and appraisals
needs fixingSupervision was not regular for a few staff members, and a few had not received an appraisal within the previous year. The registered manager took action during the inspection.
“Staff had received supervisions but the regularity of them varied for a few staff members and we could see that some of those staff had supervisions booked.” from the report
Access to snacks
minorThere were limited snacks that people could help themselves to, particularly people with limited mobility or those staying in their rooms. The registered manager arranged for fruit and snacks to be freely available.
“There was limited availability of snacks that people could help themselves too when they wanted; especially those people who had limited mobility or preferred to stay in their rooms.” from the report
Major disruption planning
needs fixingThe business continuity plan covered smaller disruptions but did not explain what would happen if the building became uninhabitable. The plan was reviewed and updated after inspectors raised this.
“While the plan covered minor disruption it did not cover plans for significant disruption should the building become uninhabitable for a short period of time.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure every staff member receives supervision regularly?
- 02Have all staff received their annual appraisal, and how is this monitored?
- 03How are snacks made available to people who stay in their rooms or have limited mobility?
- 04What changes were made to the business continuity plan if the building becomes uninhabitable?
- 05How do you check that medicines given when needed are administered according to each person's instructions?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and checking improvements required after the July 2015 inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 April 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 Whitegates Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 January 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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