Archived: Redcourt Care Home

Updated 11 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 11 February 2022

About the service:

Redcourt Care Home is a residential care home located in Aigburth, a residential area of Liverpool. It provides personal care and accommodation for up to 53 people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

Where people lacked the capacity to make particular decisions, they were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and were supported by staff in the least restrictive way possible. However, we found that the home did not maintain clear documentation relating to mental capacity assessments and decisions made in a person’s best interests. We discussed this with the registered manager, who was aware this was an area they needed to improve in and was already in the process of addressing this.

There were systems in place to protect people from abuse and people living at the home and their relatives told us that they felt safe there. One relative said, “Safe? Very much so, we’re made up with the place.”

The home was well-maintained and the safety of the environment was regularly checked by staff. The home had a variety of up-to-date safety certificates that demonstrated that utilities and services, such as gas and electric had been tested and maintained.

Staff were safely recruited by the home. Records showed that the required pre-employment checks, such as criminal records checks, had been carried out. This ensured that only people who were suitable to work with vulnerable adults were employed by the home.

Medication was correctly administered, stored and recorded at the home by staff who had the required knowledge and skills.

Staff were well-supported with regular supervisions and annual appraisals with the registered manager. Most staff were up-to-date with training relevant to their roles and we found that staff who required refresher training had been booked to do so.

People living at the home were supported by staff to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. People and their relatives gave us positive feedback about the quality and choice of food available at the home. One person said, “Thumbs up, very good we are very well fed and the food is to a high standard, we are very lucky.”

All the people and relatives we spoke with gave us positive feedback about the staff at the home. A relative commented, “The staff are great, they look after people so well.” Staff knew the people they were supporting well, including their needs and preferences. We observed many warm, friendly and caring interactions between staff and the people living at the home throughout our inspection.

The care plans we looked at were detailed and informative, regularly reviewed and reflected the needs of the people living at the home. This helped staff get to know the people they were supporting and we found the staff we spoke with knew people well.

There was a good range of activities on offer to people living at the home. Examples of this included, arts and crafts, baking, dancing, singing and ball games. One person told us, “We have a singing group me and another lad started it. We sang at Christmas. We do quizzes and bingo we are very active.”

The interactions we saw between staff and people living at the home showed there was a positive and caring culture amongst staff at the home. People and their relatives told us they felt the home was well-led. One relative said, “I suppose from the attitude of the staff they are friendly, helpful and approachable and they have a low turnover of staff with members of staff who have been there years and so they must be happy with the way they are managed.”

The registered manager had various systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of service being provided at the home They also gathered feedback about the service through quarterly carers’ meetings, a registered manager’s surgery and annual satisfaction questionnaires.

Rating at last inspection:

Good – 23 August 2016

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.