CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Pridell Care
Care at Parkside
6-8 Edward Street, Oldham, OL9 7QW
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Medicines records and some risk information were not always accurate. Staffing, recruitment, equipment checks and infection control were satisfactory, but action was not taken promptly when bathroom water temperatures were too high.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not looked at during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating, but that rating is not given in this report.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not looked at during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating, but that rating is not given in this report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The home knew people's preferences and communication needs, supported activities and helped people keep in touch with family and friends. Recording of activities had improved since the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- The home used regular audits, but these did not reliably identify or correct medicines and safety problems. Management had recently changed, with the owner applying to become the registered manager.
What inspectors found, February 2024
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care but continuing problems with medicines records and service oversight.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 3 and 6 August 2021. An inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with five relatives, the manager and staff. They reviewed care records, all medication records, staff files, audits and other records.
The home had enough staff, followed good infection control practices and supported people with activities, communication and family contact. Care plans described people's preferences well. Relatives were mostly positive about the care and staff.
Inspectors found medicines records were not always accurate or complete. Audits had not identified or fixed some problems, including high bathroom water temperatures. The water problem was fixed after the inspection, and some medicines documentation was improved immediately afterwards. The home remained in breach of Regulation 17 and received a warning notice.
Staffing and safeguarding
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff understood how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns, and recruitment checks had been completed.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs and support them appropriately.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's likes, dislikes and preferred support. Staff knew people well and respected their choices.
“People had care plans which contained detailed descriptions of how they liked staff to support them.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were supported to join activities and keep in contact with relatives and friends. Recording of participation had improved.
“Staff helped people participate in activities within the home, such as board games, craft sessions and celebrations of events, such as birthdays.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable infection prevention arrangements, including safe use of protective equipment and premises hygiene.
“We were assured that the provider was using personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively and safely.” from the report
Medicines records
seriousGuidance for medicines given when needed was missing in some cases. Creams, thickened drinks and medicine stock records were not always documented accurately.
“One person had been prescribed a potent steroid cream to be applied for two weeks only. However, staff had continued to apply this cream for a further week without discussing this with the person's doctor.” from the report
Weak checks and oversight
seriousRegular audits did not reliably identify problems or make sure action was taken. This was a continuing breach of Regulation 17.
“However, the shortfalls we identified at this inspection had not been picked up by these audits.” from the report
Water temperature checks
needs fixingChecks showed that bathroom water was sometimes hotter than the recommended maximum, but no action was taken before the inspection. The manager fixed this immediately afterwards.
“Weekly checks on the water temperatures in the downstairs shower and bathrooms had shown that the water was sometimes hotter than the recommended maximum temperature. However, no action had been taken.” from the report
Communication with relatives
minorMost relatives said they were kept informed, but one relative felt communication from the home was poor.
“Most relatives told us they were kept informed about their loved one's health. However, one person felt communication from the home was poor.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to medicines records for as-needed medicines, creams, thickened drinks and medicine stock?
- 02How do you now check that medicines audits identify problems and that action is completed?
- 03What checks are now in place to keep bathroom water temperatures within safe limits?
- 04Who is currently responsible for managing the home, and has the application to become the registered manager been completed?
- 05How will you keep relatives informed about changes in their loved one's health and care?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Responsive and Well-led, with the previous ratings for Effective and Caring carried forward because they were not looked at. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 2024 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 Care at Parkside
6 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.
- February 2024Requires improvementcurrent ratingstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2022Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- July 2019Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2018Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- March 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 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. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.
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