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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Ashcare (Summerfields)

Summerfield Care Home

12 Burton Road, Branston, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 3DN

Requires improvementpublished 16 June 2023, 3 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
Inspectors found improvements in safeguarding, medicines and recruitment. However, some risk information was incomplete or out of date, and some bathrooms needed cleaning.
Effective?
Requires improvement
Staff were trained and people were supported with food, drink and access to healthcare. Some care records were contradictory or out of date, communication with professionals could improve, and oral healthcare was not always followed up.
Caring?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused visit. The report says the previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused visit. The report says the previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
Well-led?
Requires improvement
The manager and staff created a positive culture and involved people and relatives. However, audits did not reliably identify outdated or conflicting records, missing follow-up and outdated policies.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, June 2023

Requires Improvement; inspectors found caring staff and safer medicines, but care records, hygiene and checks on quality still needed improvement.

This was an unannounced focused inspection on 16 May 2023. Two inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and outside professionals. They reviewed care records, medicine records, recruitment files and management records.

The home had improved since its previous inspection in 2021. Medicines were stored and recorded more safely, concerns about possible harm were acted on, and staff were safely recruited. People were supported with food, drink and healthcare, and inspectors found a positive and caring atmosphere.

However, some risk assessments and care plans were out of date, incomplete or contradictory. Communication with health professionals was not always effective. Some bathrooms needed cleaning and had an odour. The home's checks did not reliably find these problems, so it remained in breach of Regulation 17.

The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe, Effective and Well-led were each rated Requires Improvement. Caring and Responsive were not assessed during this focused inspection, so their previous ratings carried over when the overall rating was calculated.

What inspectors praised

  • Safer medicines

    The home had improved its medicine systems. Medicines were stored securely, temperature checks were completed and administration records were in place.

    “Enough improvement had been made to medicines management at this inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation 12.” from the report

  • Action on harm

    Staff recorded accidents and incidents, and the manager checked that appropriate action was taken, including referrals where needed.

    “The provider had made improvements to ensure action was taken when staff identified any risk of harm.” from the report

  • Caring staff

    Inspectors found that staff knew people well and spent time supporting them. People, relatives and staff described a friendly and positive atmosphere.

    “The registered manager and staff shared a positive culture, and they were passionate about caring for people.” from the report

  • Food and drink

    Staff knew people's dietary needs and supported people to choose and have food and drink throughout the day. Pictorial menus had also been introduced.

    “People were supported to eat and drink and maintain a healthy diet.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Incomplete risk information

    serious

    Some care plans did not give staff enough information about identified risks or how to manage them safely. Some records also described monitoring that was no longer needed.

    “People's care plans did not always consistently provide enough information of identified risks or guidance for staff to safely manage them.” from the report

  • Outdated and conflicting records

    needs fixing

    Some records gave different information about people's needs or contained guidance that was no longer current. This could make it harder for staff to provide consistent care.

    “Some people's care records contained inconsistent information.” from the report

  • Oral healthcare follow-up

    needs fixing

    Oral healthcare records had gaps or repeated entries showing that care had been refused. Inspectors found no follow-up with professionals or alternative measures in some cases.

    “People were not always supported to ensure their oral healthcare needs were met.” from the report

  • Premises hygiene

    needs fixing

    Some bathrooms needed cleaning and had an odour. The manager took action during the inspection, but inspectors were only somewhat assured about hygiene in these areas.

    “We found some bathrooms required cleaning and had an odour.” from the report

  • Weak quality checks

    serious

    The home's audits did not reliably identify outdated care plans, conflicting information, missing oral healthcare follow-up or incomplete medicine protocols. This was a continued breach of Regulation 17.

    “The auditing systems in place were not always effective at identifying areas for improvement.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Which risk assessments and care plans have been updated since the inspection, and how do you check that they remain accurate?
  2. 02How are oral healthcare refusals recorded, followed up and supported with alternative measures?
  3. 03What changes have been made to the auditing system to find conflicting or out-of-date records?
  4. 04How are bathroom cleaning and odour problems checked now?
  5. 05What progress has been made on the action plan for the Regulation 17 breach?

This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were used in calculating the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 June 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 Summerfield Care Home

4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.

  1. June 2023Requires improvementcurrent rating
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at Summerfield Care Home →

  2. March 2022Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

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

  3. July 2021Requires improvementup from Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. February 2021Inadequatedown from Requires improvement
    Safe: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. June 2019Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. November 2017

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 November 2017.

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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