CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by Grand Park Homes
St George's Nursing Home
42 Kneesworth Street, Royston, SG8 5AQ
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, February 2024
St George's Nursing Home is rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found risks with medicines, nutrition and personalised care.
The unannounced inspection took place over two visits in December 2023 and January 2024. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was not always safe. Medicines were not always recorded or given correctly, some risks were not properly assessed, and recruitment records were incomplete. People also reported that food was often cold and not enough.
Staff were described as kind and there were enough staff on duty. However, people's privacy, choices and individual needs were not always respected or recorded. The home was making repairs and working on improvements, but inspectors said these had not yet been fully embedded.
Enough staff
Inspectors observed enough staff to meet people's needs promptly. Relatives also said staffing levels were adequate.
“Throughout our visit, we observed there were staff available to meet people's needs in a timely manner.” from the report
Kind staff
People and relatives consistently described staff as kind, caring and supportive.
“People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that infection prevention arrangements, including the use of protective equipment, were effective.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Activities
People and relatives spoke positively about the range of activities. The activities worker also helped community groups visit the home.
“The activities organiser is brilliant and always provides appropriate activities.” from the report
Learning from incidents
The manager monitored accidents and incidents for patterns and discussed these in handovers and team meetings.
“The registered manager was proactive about learning lessons and improving the service.” from the report
Medicines were not always safe
seriousSome electronic medicine records did not match prescribing instructions. Time-sensitive medicines were not always given at the right time, patches were not recorded properly, and fridge temperatures were outside the recommended range.
“Medicines were not always managed safely.” from the report
Food and drink
seriousFood was not always served promptly and people said it was cold. Inspectors found that nutritional needs were not being met adequately.
“The provider had not ensured people's nutritional needs were being met adequately.” from the report
Personalised care
seriousCare plans did not always reflect people's preferences, backgrounds or end-of-life needs. People were not always asked about their choices when receiving care or meals.
“The lack of person-centred care plans placed people at an increased risk of not having their needs met.” from the report
Privacy and choice
needs fixingThere was not always a clear process for consent to intimate care from male carers. Some women received this care when it was not their preference.
“Male staff told us they sometimes provided intimate personal care to females when this was not their preference.” from the report
Recruitment checks
needs fixingTwo of the three staff records reviewed had incomplete employment histories. The provider was asked to review its recruitment practice.
“We reviewed 3 staff records and we found there was gaps in 2 people's application form as their employment histories were incomplete.” from the report
Improvements not sustained
needs fixingAudits had found some of the problems, but the home had not embedded and sustained the changes needed.
“Their checks and audits had identified the issues we found during our inspection in relation to medicines and care plans, but they were unable to embed the learning and the ongoing sustained improvement which was required.” from the report
- 01What has changed to make sure time-sensitive medicines are given at the correct times and all medicine records match prescriptions?
- 02How will you make sure meals are served hot, on time and in amounts that meet each person's needs?
- 03How do you record a person's preferences about intimate personal care, including whether they want care from a male or female carer?
- 04How have care plans been updated to include people's backgrounds, likes, communication needs and end-of-life wishes?
- 05What evidence can you show that the problems identified by audits have now been fixed and stayed fixed?
This was an unannounced inspection of the home, including the premises and care provided, covering all five CQC questions over visits on 05 December 2023 and 05 January 2024. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 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 St George's Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- February 2024Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 July 2022.
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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Other services run by Grand Park Homes Ltd
1 other service on the CQC register. A pattern across a group tells you more than one report.