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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Runwood

Ivy Court

Greenfield Lane, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0PT

Goodpublished 9 February 2026, 6 months ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, August 2023

Ivy Court is rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found unsafe gaps in nutritional support and weaknesses in management checks.

The unannounced inspection took place on 21 June 2023. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care, checked the building and infection control, and reviewed care records, medicines records, staffing information and management checks.

Inspectors found that some people's nutritional needs were not met. Staff did not always provide the support or specially prepared meals set out in care plans. Some people had not been weighed as often as planned, and daily records did not always reflect the care given. These issues put people at risk of harm.

The home had enough staff overall to keep people safe, medicines were given safely, and the building was clean and well maintained. Staff generally knew people well and worked with health professionals. However, management changes had disrupted quality checks, and the checks had failed to identify some of the problems found.

The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection, published on 10 February 2023, to Requires Improvement. The inspection only examined Safe and Well-led. The other ratings were carried over from the previous inspection.

What inspectors praised

  • Medicines

    People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Checks and audits were used to identify and correct medicines problems.

    “People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.” from the report

  • Positive relationships

    Most staff were committed to their roles and had built positive relationships with people. Staff understood people's individual care and communication needs.

    “Most staff were committed to their roles and had built positive relationships with people.” from the report

  • Working with health professionals

    Staff made referrals when needed and worked with health professionals to support people's care.

    “Staff know people really well and recognise when things are not quite right.” from the report

  • Clean and maintained environment

    Inspectors found the home spacious, well laid out, clean and tidy. Building and equipment maintenance systems were in place.

    “The environment was spacious, well laid out and clean and tidy.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Nutritional support

    serious

    Some people's care plans for nutrition were not followed. Some people did not receive the support or suitable food they needed, which placed them at risk of harm.

    “People's care plans in relation to their nutritional needs were not always followed.” from the report

  • Management checks

    serious

    Quality assurance systems did not identify the shortfalls found during the inspection. A health and safety audit was overdue.

    “For instance, the service's last health and safety audit was some months overdue.” from the report

  • Care records

    needs fixing

    Some daily records did not match the care that inspectors saw being provided. The manager said this would be monitored and improved.

    “People's daily records did not always match the actual care provided to them.” from the report

  • Staffing pressure

    needs fixing

    Feedback about staffing was mixed. Some staff said they felt under extreme pressure at busy times, and inspectors saw some people left without support in communal areas.

    “I don't feel there are enough staff for the people living with dementia.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now make sure each person's nutritional care plan is followed at every meal?
  2. 02How often are people at risk from poor nutrition weighed, and who checks that this happens?
  3. 03What changes have been made so daily records accurately reflect the care people receive?
  4. 04Who is currently responsible for quality and safety checks, and when was the overdue health and safety audit completed?
  5. 05How are staffing levels reviewed at busy times, particularly for people living with dementia?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, with infection prevention and control included under Safe; the other key-question ratings carried over from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 August 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Ivy Court

4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.

  1. August 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at Ivy Court →

  2. February 2023Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. March 2020Goodstayed Good
    Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. April 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. September 2015

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 September 2015.

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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