CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Barchester Healthcare

Snowdrop Place Care Home

Snowdrop Place, Pavilion Road, Hedge End, Southampton, SO30 2ZS

Requires improvementpublished 30 September 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; Some risk information was incomplete or inconsistent, including records about pressure-area care and dehydration. Medicines records did not always give staff enough information about when and how to give medicines.
Effective?: Requires improvement; The building did not always support people's orientation, accessibility and independence. Food variety did not always meet people's preferences, and fluid records were not consistently completed.
Caring?: Good; People were generally treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. Staff encouraged people to make choices and remain independent where possible.
Responsive?: Good; Care plans contained people's histories, preferences and support needs. The home offered activities, community links and ways for people and relatives to give feedback.
Well-led?: Requires improvement; Quality checks did not identify several concerns found by inspectors. Records were not always accurate, complete or up to date, and feedback about leadership and communication was mixed.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, September 2023

Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind and personalised care, but concerns about records, staffing, medicines and management.

This was the home’s first inspection since it registered. Inspectors visited unannounced on 8, 12 and 16 June 2023. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, observed care, and checked medicines, care records, recruitment files and audits.

The home was rated Good for Caring and Responsive. People were generally treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Care plans included people's histories and preferences, and there were activities and opportunities to maintain relationships.

The home was rated Requires Improvement for Safe, Effective and Well-led, giving an overall rating of Requires Improvement. Inspectors found incomplete or inconsistent records about risks, fluids, repositioning and medicines. People and staff also said staffing levels were not always enough, and the environment and food did not always meet people's needs or preferences.

The provider breached Regulation 17 on good governance. Inspectors said the home's audits had not found the problems identified during the inspection. The provider must send an action plan, and CQC said it will continue to monitor the home.

What inspectors praised

Kind and respectful care
People and relatives mostly described staff as kind and caring. Staff promoted dignity, consent and independence.
“Staff treated people with kindness and compassion.” from the report
Activities and relationships
There was dedicated activities support, with sessions, outings, community links and larger events involving relatives.
“There was a dedicated team of staff to support people to engage in activities.” from the report
Safeguarding processes
Staff knew how to report abuse and neglect. Inspectors found a clear process for recording, reporting and responding to concerns.
“There was a clear safeguarding process in place to report and respond to concerns.” from the report
Access to healthcare
Records showed people were supported to access health services. Professionals said staff escalated concerns and sought advice promptly when community nursing help might be needed.
“We reviewed records which demonstrated the provider supported people to maintain their healthcare needs and access health services such as the GP and community nursing team.” from the report

What inspectors were concerned about

Incomplete risk records
serious
Some people's risk plans and monitoring records were incomplete. Inspectors could not be assured that risks such as dehydration and pressure areas were always managed consistently.
“Some information related to risk was inconsistent or incomplete.” from the report
Medicines information
serious
Instructions for some when-required and variable-dose medicines did not give staff enough person-centred information. Some care plans did not match medicines records.
“We were not assured that all required records were sufficient to ensure consistency in the administration for 'when required' medicines.” from the report
Staffing concerns
needs fixing
People and staff said there were not always enough staff available and that people sometimes waited for help. Inspectors also observed a person without care staff support for about 12 minutes.
“We received feedback from some people who felt staff were not always available or they needed to wait for support.” from the report
Environment and accessibility
needs fixing
Signs for toilets, bathrooms and the lift were not always easy to see. Inspectors recommended reviewing best practice to support independence, including for people living with dementia or disability.
“The environment did not always fully reflect relevant best practice guidance to support people, including those living with dementia, with appropriate orientation and navigation around the building.” from the report
Food choice and variety
minor
Most people found the food options adequate, but some said the choices were predictable and lacked variety. The provider said it had changed the food supplier in response to feedback.
“Most people told us they found food options adequate, but quality and variety did not always meet people's preferences or expectations.” from the report
Weak quality checks
serious
Audits did not identify the problems found with care records, medicines and recruitment records. The home was also piloting electronic care records without effective checks to ensure staff had all relevant information.
“Quality assurance and governance systems in place were not always effective or robust.” from the report

Questions to ask them, based on this report

01What specific changes have been made to risk plans and daily records for pressure-area care, repositioning and fluid intake?
02How are staff given clear instructions for when-required and variable-dose medicines, and how is this checked?
03What action has been taken in response to people's and staff's concerns about staffing levels and waiting for help?
04What improvements have been made to signs, the lift and bathroom facilities to support independence and navigation?
05How are managers checking that the electronic care records are accurate, complete and up to date?

This was the first unannounced inspection and covered all five key questions, including the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 September 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 Snowdrop Place Care Home

Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the service was registered.

September 2023Requires improvementcurrent rating
Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Snowdrop Place Care Home →
April 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 April 2021.

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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