CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Whittington House Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found safeguarding, risk assessments, medicines management, recruitment checks and infection control arrangements were in place. Staffing numbers were assessed, but the home was using agency staff because of recruitment difficulties.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its rating was carried over from the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found better communication, stronger quality monitoring and progress on earlier improvement work. However, the manager had resigned just before the inspection and there was no registered manager in post.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Whittington House Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found people were safe, but staffing, cleaning and management continuity needed attention.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 21 and 22 September 2022. Inspectors looked at Safe and Well-led, following concerns about staffing, communication, dementia care, medicines, complaints and cleanliness. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and a health professional, and reviewed care records, risk assessments, medicines records, recruitment files and management documents.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found safeguarding, risk management, medicines checks, recruitment checks and infection control arrangements were in place. People told inspectors they felt safe and received their medicines as prescribed.
There were still challenges. The home relied on agency staff because of difficulties recruiting permanent staff. More cleaning staff were needed, and the manager had resigned just before the inspection. The provider had plans for management support and was monitoring improvements.
The overall Good rating includes ratings for the other three questions carried over from the previous inspection. Effective, Caring and Responsive were not assessed during this visit.
Safety systems
The home had processes to protect people from abuse and to assess and reduce risks such as falls, pressure ulcers, malnutrition and choking.
“There were processes in place to safeguard people from abuse.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines were given by trained staff whose competence was checked. Reviews and monitoring were used to reduce the risk of errors.
“People's medicines were administered by staff who had received training to do this and whose competencies in this task were checked.” from the report
Improvement work
Inspectors found progress in nursing supervision, clinical risk meetings, medicines management, care records, food choices and handling complaints.
“Several improvements had been successfully achieved which included, increased support and supervision for nurses, implementation of regular clinical risk meetings, improved medicines management” from the report
Communication
People and relatives said communication and engagement had improved. Managers were described as more visible and approachable.
“People and relatives told us they had appreciated the improved communication and engagement arrangements which the manager had put into practice.” from the report
Recruitment and agency staffing
needs fixingThe home faced significant difficulties recruiting and retaining permanent staff and used agency workers to maintain staffing numbers. Feedback about staffing levels was mixed.
“The provider had experienced significant challenges in retaining and recruiting staff, but some progress had been made with the recruitment of new staff.” from the report
Cleaning capacity
needs fixingCleaning was taking place, but inspectors said more cleaning staff were needed to fully meet the home's needs.
“At the time of the inspection cleaning of the care home was taking place but more cleaning staff were required to fully support the home's needs in this area.” from the report
Management continuity
needs fixingThere was no registered manager in post. The manager had resigned just before the inspection, so the provider had to arrange further management support.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01How many permanent staff are now in place, and how often are agency staff used?
- 02Who is currently managing the home, and what is the plan for appointing and registering a manager?
- 03Have you recruited enough cleaning staff, and what improvements have been made to cleanliness?
- 04Have the cordless call bells been connected to the main call bell system?
- 05How are complaints and concerns now recorded, answered and checked by senior management?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the Effective, Caring and Responsive ratings carried over from the previous inspection published in 2019. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 November 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 2021
Whittington House Nursing Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection prevention arrangements during a COVID-19 outbreak.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 14 December 2020. It checked how the home prevented and controlled infections during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that people were admitted safely, testing was in place, and staff used protective equipment properly. The home used separate areas for people with different COVID-19 risks and supported people to self-isolate.
Inspectors also found regular contact with relatives, extra cleaning, safe laundry and waste arrangements, and close work with health professionals. The inspection did not give a rating for the service or for safety.
Protective equipment
Staff received training and guidance on protective equipment, with supplies available and checks on its use.
“Staff had been supported to adhere to relevant training and guidance for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).” from the report
Safe admissions and testing
People were admitted after a negative test and supported to self-isolate. Testing was also carried out for people and staff.
“People had been safely admitted to the home following a negative COVID-19 test result and had been supported to self-isolate in their bedrooms for 14 days immediately following admission.” from the report
Contact with relatives
The home kept relatives and representatives updated about people's health and changes in the home.
“Staff kept people's representatives and relatives updated with relevant information; about people's health and changes taking place in the home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are people with different COVID-19 risks separated now, and how would this work during an outbreak?
- 02How do you check that staff are using protective equipment and washing their hands correctly?
- 03How often are people and staff tested now, and how are people supported if they find testing difficult?
- 04How are relatives kept informed about changes in a person's health or an infection outbreak?
- 05What are the home's current CQC ratings for effective, caring, responsive and well-led care?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe question; the service was inspected but not rated and the other questions were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 January 2021 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 Whittington House Nursing Home
8 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Whittington House Nursing Home →
- January 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Whittington House Nursing Home →
- November 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- September 2015Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateResponsive: Inadequate
- July 2015Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2015Inadequatestayed InadequateResponsive: Inadequate
- January 2015InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 September 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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