CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Winnett Cottage
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. There were enough staff, risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and infection control practices were followed, although some areas needed maintenance.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not reviewed during this focused inspection. The report used the previous inspection ratings for areas that were not inspected.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not reviewed during this focused inspection. The report used the previous inspection ratings for areas that were not inspected.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not reviewed during this focused inspection. The report used the previous inspection ratings for areas that were not inspected.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open and friendly culture, regular quality checks and good partnership working. The management team was developing further incident analysis and improvement systems.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Winnett Cottage is rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and the home was well managed, with some maintenance and improvement work still under way.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 30 October 2023. One inspector spoke with two people, three staff members and a health professional. They reviewed care and medicines records, recruitment files, audits and other management records, and observed the home.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe recruitment, suitable risk assessments and safe medicines systems. People were protected from abuse and infection, although some areas needed maintenance to support effective cleaning.
The management team had systems for checking quality, learning from incidents and gathering feedback. The home was developing its incident analysis and service improvement systems. The overall Good rating also used ratings from the previous inspection for the other areas, which were not reviewed this time.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe, and staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. The home also worked with other agencies to protect people from harm.
“People were safe and protected from harm and abuse.” from the report
Enough suitable staff
Inspectors found enough staff to support people. Recruitment files showed that the required checks had been completed.
“The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Staff followed systems for prescribing, giving, recording and storing medicines. Their training and competence were checked regularly.
“People were supported to receive their medicines safely. Staff monitored refusals and referred to health professionals for advice.” from the report
Open management
People and staff described the culture as open and friendly. The home used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor and improve the service.
“There was a positive and open culture at the service.” from the report
Partnership working
Staff worked with mental health teams, psychiatrists, social services and GPs to support people's needs.
“Staff worked with psychiatrists, mental health teams, social services, GPs among others to ensure people's support was in line with best practice guidance.” from the report
Some areas needed maintenance
minorInspectors said some parts of the home needed maintenance so they could be cleaned more effectively. The report does not say that this affected people's safety.
“Some areas of the care home required maintenance to enable more effective cleaning.” from the report
Improvement systems were still developing
minorThe management team had identified further improvements, including better analysis of incident trends and patterns. These systems were still being developed at the time of the inspection.
“The registered manager had identified improvements and was in the process of developing systems to” from the report
- 01Which areas of the home needed maintenance for cleaning, and has this work now been completed?
- 02How are incidents reviewed now, and how are trends and patterns used to reduce repeat incidents?
- 03What recommendations came from the independent assessment of the governance systems?
- 04How will my relative's medicines be reviewed, and how will refusals or changes in medicines be handled?
- 05How will families and residents be involved in feedback and service improvement?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried over from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 November 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, December 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with some care plans still needing more personal detail.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 23 November 2017. One inspector spoke with three people, the manager, two staff members and a visiting health and social care professional. The inspector reviewed two care records and other service records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People told inspectors they felt safe and staff supported them with medicines, health appointments, daily living skills, activities and personal goals.
The report says there had been breaches at the 2015 inspection. A focused inspection in May 2016 found improvements. At this inspection, further improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the required standards.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Risks were recorded, discussed with people and reviewed, while staff knew how to report abuse.
“People felt safe living in the home and told us they regularly discussed with staff their needs and how to keep safe.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Staff were trained and their medicines work was checked regularly. Inspectors found accurate medicines records and stock that matched the records.
“Medicine administration records (MAR) were completed accurately and the stock of medicines we counted matched the records kept.” from the report
Support for independence
People were encouraged to develop everyday skills and work towards less supported living. They could take part in cooking, shopping, cleaning and laundry.
“People received support to remain independent and to develop everyday living skills.” from the report
Choice and involvement
People helped plan their care, choose meals and shape activities. The home responded to suggestions, including providing more entertainment options.
“The menu was designed by the people who lived in the home.” from the report
Improved management
The manager used audits and an improvement plan to monitor the service. The report says improvements had been made since earlier inspections.
“At this inspection we found that further improvements had been made and the provider was meeting the required standards.” from the report
Some care plans were too general
needs fixingAlthough care plans reflected people's needs and wishes, some did not include enough information about how people understood their mental health condition. The manager had identified this and planned meetings to make the plans more personalised.
“however in places they were generic and not giving sufficient information about people`s perception about their mental health condition.” from the report
- 01How have you made care plans more personalised since this inspection?
- 02How do you record and use each person's own understanding of their mental health condition?
- 03How are medicines competencies checked for each staff member, and how often are medicines audits completed?
- 04What goals is my relative currently working towards, including any move to less supported care?
- 05How are people's views and complaints recorded, acted on and shared with staff?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection that looked at the premises and care provided, and rated all five key questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 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 Winnett Cottage
4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
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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