CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by City and County Healthcare Group

Merecroft

Seafield Lane, Alvechurch, Birmingham, B48 7HN

Requires improvementpublished 5 December 2023, 2 years ago

Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.

The five questions inspectors ask

Safe?: Requires improvement; Cleaning schedules were not consistently completed, and bowel care guidance did not clearly explain what staff should do or when to raise concerns. Medicines were managed safely, and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.
Effective?: Good; Staff had relevant training and supervision. People received support with food, drink and healthcare, and the home worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act.
Caring?: Good; Inspectors saw positive interactions. People were treated with kindness, privacy and dignity, and were supported to express their views and make decisions.
Responsive?: Good; Care plans reflected people's histories, preferences and needs. People were supported with communication, activities and family relationships, although relatives gave mixed feedback about opportunities to go out and take part in activities.
Well-led?: Requires improvement; There had been changes in management, and governance systems were not yet fully embedded. The management team was open to feedback and was working with the local authority on an action plan.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2023

Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but safety checks and management systems were not yet reliable.

Inspectors visited unannounced on 17 and 18 October 2023. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and checked care records, medicines, training, incidents, recruitment and quality records.

The home was rated Good for Effective, Caring and Responsive. People were treated with kindness and dignity, had personalised care plans, received support with health needs, and were helped to make choices, keep relationships and enjoy activities.

Safe and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement. Cleaning records were incomplete, bowel care guidance needed more detail, and the provider had not always learned from incidents. Quality checks and management arrangements were still being developed. The report says this gave limited assurance about safety and an increased risk that people could be harmed.

What inspectors praised

Kind and respectful care
People appeared relaxed and comfortable with staff. Relatives said staff understood people's needs and treated them well.
“People were well supported.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, lifestyles, interests and communication needs. Staff knew people well and supported them in ways that suited them.
“People's history, preferences, likes, dislikes, lifestyles, and interests were known.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, access food and drink, use healthcare services and do things for themselves. The home followed least restrictive and best interests principles.
“Staff made sure people had maximum choice and control over their lives and supported them in the least restrictive way possible.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Staff were trained and assessed as competent to administer medicines. Medicines were stored securely and audited monthly.
“People were supported to receive their medicines safely.” from the report

What inspectors were concerned about

Incomplete cleaning checks
needs fixing
Cleaning records were not consistently completed, and inspectors found areas in the kitchen and laundry that needed improvement for infection control.
“documentation monitoring cleaning schedules were not consistently completed.” from the report
Bowel care guidance
serious
Staff guidance did not give enough detail about monitoring bowel care, managing risks or escalating concerns.
“guidance for staff in relation to bowel care monitoring was not detailed enough.” from the report
Management systems not embedded
needs fixing
Changes in management and provider oversight meant some quality systems were still being established. Governance records did not always show who was responsible for actions or when they should be completed.
“some improvements in the day to day running of the home and provider oversight were not yet fully embedded.” from the report
Staff and management changes
needs fixing
Relatives described a high turnover of staff and management over the previous couple of years. The report says recruitment had recently improved and things appeared to be settling.
“there have been an awful lot of staff and management changes over the last couple of years” from the report
Some activities were limited
minor
Relatives gave mixed feedback about activities and community access. A lack of drivers had previously prevented some outings, although this had been partly corrected.
“due to drivers, (lack of and age of some staff) this did prevent [family member] from going out” from the report

Questions to ask them, based on this report

01What has been done to make sure cleaning schedules are completed and checked every time?
02How have bowel care plans been updated, and how are staff now told when to escalate concerns?
03What changes have been made to the quality audits and governance records since the inspection?
04How are you maintaining continuity of familiar staff after the recent staff and management changes?
05How will you make sure the person can access their planned community activities when drivers are unavailable?

This was an unannounced inspection that looked at all five CQC questions, including the premises and care, after concerns were received about staffing, management and care. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 December 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 Merecroft

6 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.

December 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from Good
Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Merecroft →
February 2021Goodstayed Good
Safe: GoodWell-led: Good
We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk
July 2019Goodstayed Good
Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read this report on cqc.org.uk
December 2016Goodstayed Good
Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read this report on cqc.org.uk
October 2015Goodup from Requires improvement
Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read this report on cqc.org.uk
March 2015Requires improvement
Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read this report on cqc.org.uk
July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 July 2014.

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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Requires improvement

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Birmingham, B48 · 5.0 km

Good

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Rated 7 years agocare home

What inspectors found, December 2023

Kind and respectful care

Personalised support

Choice and independence

Safe medicines support

Incomplete cleaning checks

Bowel care guidance

Management systems not embedded

Staff and management changes

Some activities were limited

Every inspection of Merecroft

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