CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Wickham Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, effective infection control, safe medicines systems and suitable risk management. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Requires improvement
- This key question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found that governance systems and oversight had improved. Staff had clear roles, worked well together and supported a positive culture.
What inspectors found, June 2023
Wickham Road was rated Good; inspectors found improvements in safety and management, although there was no registered manager in post during the visit.
This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 1 June 2023. One inspector spoke with both people living there, observed care, obtained feedback from an advocate, spoke with staff and managers, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safer infection control, suitable medicines systems, improved incident monitoring and more effective management oversight. People were supported to make choices and take part in activities and visits.
The last rating was Requires Improvement, published in March 2021. The provider had been in breach of regulations then, but inspectors found enough improvement and said the home was no longer in breach. This inspection did not cover Caring, Effective or Responsive.
Enough staff
The home had enough staff, including for one-to-one support, activities and visits. Staff were said to have reasonable shifts and breaks.
“The service had enough staff at the time of this inspection, including for one-to-one support, for people to take part in activities and visits how and when they wanted.” from the report
Safer environment
Inspectors found that infection control had improved and was being maintained. The premises were clean, hygienic and well maintained.
“The service used effective infection prevention and control measures to keep people safe, and staff supported people to follow them.” from the report
Respect and choice
Staff listened to people's wishes, supported their preferred communication and helped them have choice, control and independence.
“They spoke to people with respect, asked people what they would like to do, listened, and then acted on people's choices and wishes.” from the report
Improved oversight
The provider had strengthened its monitoring and management systems since the previous inspection. It used checks to identify and address shortfalls.
“The provider's governance systems were now more effective and used to monitor and review the safety and quality of the service.” from the report
No registered manager at the visit
minorThere was no registered manager in post when inspectors visited. A new manager had been recruited and was due to start by the end of June 2023.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01Has the new manager started and completed the application to become registered?
- 02How do you check that staffing levels remain sufficient for one-to-one support, activities and visits?
- 03How are infection control checks and cleaning duties monitored now?
- 04How do you record incidents and make sure lessons are used to prevent them happening again?
- 05How are people involved in choosing new staff and giving feedback about the service?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried forward from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 June 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, March 2021
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found risks around COVID-19 safety, staffing and management oversight.
This was a focused inspection on 6 November 2020. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led, after concerns about medicines, staffing and general practice. They spoke with people, staff, the manager and others, and checked medicines, records and the premises.
The home was not always safe. Staff did not consistently follow COVID-19 guidance, some staff had not been trained in infection control or using protective equipment, and staffing shortages led to excessive working hours. Medicines, the building and routine safety checks were otherwise managed well.
The home was not always well-led. The manager was not registered with CQC, quality checks did not reliably identify problems, and records and care plans were not always updated. The provider sent evidence of some improvements after the inspection, but CQC still rated the service Requires Improvement.
The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection in June 2019. CQC identified breaches of regulations about safe care and treatment, staffing and good governance, and said it would monitor an action plan and return to inspect.
Medicines
Medicines were stored securely, records were up to date and staff understood when as-needed medicines should be given.
“Medicines were stored safely in a lockable cupboard within the office.” from the report
Clean and maintained
The home was clean and in good repair. There were cleaning schedules, disinfectants and regular checks of the environment.
“The provider made sure the premises were clean and hygienic.” from the report
Person-centred culture
People said they felt listened to and supported. Staff knew people's general needs, likes and dislikes.
“The service had an open and inclusive culture” from the report
Partnership working
The provider worked with a community mental health team, which had helped one person settle and reduced challenging behaviour.
“The provider worked closely with the community mental health team for one person.” from the report
COVID-19 infection control
seriousStaff did not always follow national COVID-19 guidance. Inspectors observed staff not wearing masks, and risk assessments and training were not adequate at the time of the visit.
“Staff did not always follow national guidance to protect people from the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading” from the report
Staffing levels and working hours
seriousThere were vacancies and not enough staff to cover shifts safely. One staff member had worked excessive consecutive hours without an adequate break.
“There were not enough staff to ensure adequate cover of shifts.” from the report
Weak quality checks
seriousThe provider's audits did not reliably identify problems or lead to action. Some risk assessments were out of date despite audit records saying they had been updated monthly.
“The provider lacked oversight to ensure areas of improvement were identified and acted upon.” from the report
Manager not registered
needs fixingThe home had been without a registered manager for six months. The provider said it would arrange registration and extra management support after the inspection.
“The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission.” from the report
Records and incident learning
needs fixingCare plans and risk assessments were not always updated after incidents or changes. Reviews did not always show what had been learned, and one relative had not received an outcome from an incident investigation.
“Systems and processes were not robust enough to identify patterns in behavioural incidents.” from the report
- 01Is there now a manager registered with CQC, and what management support is currently in place?
- 02How many staff are on each shift now, and how do you make sure staff have enough breaks?
- 03What COVID-19 infection control training and risk assessments are now in place for people and staff?
- 04How often are care plans and risk assessments reviewed, especially after incidents or changes in people's needs?
- 05What action has been taken in response to the three regulatory breaches, and what evidence can you show of improvement?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 March 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 Wickham Road
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- March 2021Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2019GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 July 2018.
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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