CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Woodland Grove
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, appropriate risk assessments and safe medicines systems. Infection prevention measures, including protective equipment and visiting arrangements, were in place.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not assessed or rated in this inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not assessed or rated in this inspection, although inspectors observed positive interactions and received positive feedback.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This key question was not assessed or rated in this inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found good oversight, regular feedback and supervision, and systems for learning from incidents and improving the service.
What inspectors found, October 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care and strong management during this focused inspection.
The unannounced inspection took place on 7 September 2022. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and checked medicines, care records, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable medicines systems and measures to reduce infection risks. People were supported with their choices and legal safeguards were in place where needed.
People and relatives said they were happy with the home. Inspectors saw positive interactions between people and staff. The manager had systems to monitor the service, gather feedback and learn from incidents.
The previous inspection also rated the service Good. This inspection focused on Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control. It did not give current ratings for the other three questions.
Staffing and recruitment
The manager used people's needs to guide staffing levels. Recruitment checks, including references and Disclosure and Barring Service checks, had been completed.
“There were enough staff on duty to support people safely.” from the report
Medicines
Inspectors found medicines records in good order and medicines stored safely. Staff giving medicines had received appropriate training.
“Medicine records we checked were in good order and medicines were stored safely at the service.” from the report
Positive relationships
People and relatives spoke positively about the care. Inspectors observed warm interactions between people and staff.
“We observed positive interactions between people enjoying each other's company and with staff.” from the report
Management and learning
The manager had systems to monitor the service, gather feedback and support staff development. The home also reviewed incidents and put learning into practice.
“The registered manager had good oversight of the service, they had encouraged a culture of learning and development.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you currently decide how many staff and nurses are needed on each shift?
- 02How are medicines errors monitored, and what checks make sure the additional staff training remains effective?
- 03How do you keep infection prevention measures and protective equipment arrangements up to date?
- 04How can residents and relatives raise concerns or give feedback, and what changes have resulted from this feedback?
- 05Which current ratings apply to Effective, Caring and Responsive, given that this inspection only rated Safe and Well-led?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; the report did not give current ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 October 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 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, well-managed care, but communication with relatives was sometimes inconsistent.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 1 December 2020. Inspectors reviewed the information held about the home, spoke with two residents, eight relatives, eight staff and two visiting professionals, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were assessed, medicines were given safely, staff were properly recruited and trained, and infection control measures were in place. The home had systems to investigate incidents and learn from them.
This inspection looked only at Safe and Well-led. The other areas were not inspected, so their previous ratings were used when calculating the overall Good rating.
Medicines
Medicines were administered safely. Staff were trained and checked as competent, and audits were used to identify and monitor improvements.
“People's medicines were administered safely.” from the report
Staffing
Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment and a consistent team who knew the people living in the home.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Learning from incidents
The provider investigated accidents and incidents and showed that improvements had been made after the serious incident in 2019.
“The provider had investigated accidents and incidents and put measures in place to minimise the risk of a reoccurrence.” from the report
Infection control
The home was clean, staff used PPE and visitors were screened. A summer house with a screen supported safer visits with relatives.
“Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and had received infection prevention and control training and Covid-19 specific training.” from the report
Communication with relatives
minorSome relatives said they were not always told promptly about health concerns or appointments. Others said they had to chase updates or did not receive a reply.
“Communication could improve, I have to ring them for updates.” from the report
- 01How will you make sure relatives are told promptly about health concerns, appointments and changes in care?
- 02How quickly do you respond to emails and other messages from relatives, and how are unanswered concerns followed up?
- 03What improvements made after the 2019 incident are still being checked, particularly around medicines, health needs and end-of-life care?
- 04How do you check that staff remain competent to administer medicines safely?
- 05How are infection risks and visiting arrangements managed if there is an outbreak?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other key questions were not inspected and their previous ratings were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 December 2020 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 Woodland Grove
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- October 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- December 2020GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2019Inspected but not ratedSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- March 2018Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- July 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 July 2017.
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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Not only was she professional, polite and efficient but she bought a lovely smile and laughter to my parents home.”
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Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.