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CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by Luminous Care Group

Sun Court Nursing Home

1 Morris Street, Sheringham, NR26 8JX

Inadequatepublished 16 February 2024, 2 years ago

Rated Inadequate: inspectors found the service performing badly and the CQC has taken enforcement action.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Requires improvement
Risk assessments and medicines systems were incomplete or inconsistent. Inspectors were not assured that staffing levels were sufficient, and staff did not always understand safeguarding.
Effective?
Requires improvement
People's needs were not always properly assessed, staff training and competency checks were incomplete, and Mental Capacity Act requirements were not followed consistently. Some people were not supported to drink enough or receive a balanced diet.
Caring?
Requires improvement
Care was often task-focused rather than focused on people's wellbeing. Staff did not always know people's preferences, support their independence or involve people and relatives in care planning.
Responsive?
Inadequate
Care plans were often inaccurate or out of date, activities and stimulation were limited, and people's communication and end of life needs were not consistently met.
Well-led?
Inadequate
The provider's governance systems did not identify or follow up important risks and shortfalls. Complaints, incidents and audit findings were not consistently used to improve care.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, February 2024

Sun Court Nursing Home is rated Inadequate and in special measures; inspectors found serious problems with personalised care, activities, staffing, records and management.

This was an unannounced inspection prompted partly by concerns about staff skills, care standards, food and management. Inspectors visited on 17 October 2023, spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, observed care and medicines, and checked care records and management documents.

The overall rating was Inadequate. Safe, Effective and Caring were rated Requires Improvement. Responsive and Well-led were rated Inadequate. Inspectors found inaccurate care records, unsafe or incomplete medicines arrangements, insufficient staffing at times, poor communication and limited support for people's emotional and social needs.

People were often left in their rooms with little interaction apart from care tasks. Activities were limited. The provider's checks did not identify or follow up important problems, including poor fluid intake, gaps in care planning, staff training needs and incidents.

The home was placed in special measures. The provider was told to send an action plan, and CQC said it would usually reinspect within six months if the provider's registration was not being cancelled.

What inspectors praised

  • Clean environment

    Inspectors found the home was generally clean, with cleaning schedules in place.

    “When visiting we found the service to be overall clean.” from the report

  • Access to healthcare

    People could access the GP and other visiting healthcare professionals. Inspectors noted a good relationship with the GP surgery.

    “Staff from the GP surgery visited regularly, and good relationships had been built between the surgery and the long-standing nurses.” from the report

  • Building improvements

    The provider had begun redecorating and replacing furniture, equipment and carpets. New key-coded doors had also been fitted to help reduce some risks.

    “The provider had invested in new furniture, equipment and was in the process of redecorating and replacing the carpets.” from the report

  • Visiting

    Families and friends were able to visit people. A restriction on visits during mealtimes had stopped by the inspection.

    “Families and friends were able to visit people.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Inadequate care planning

    serious

    Care records were contradictory, incomplete and not always current. Staff could therefore lack the information needed to support people safely and according to their preferences.

    “The majority of the care plans were inaccurate or out of date and did not sufficiently guide staff on people's current care, treatment and support needs.” from the report

  • Limited activities and emotional support

    serious

    Most people stayed in their rooms with little stimulation or social contact. Inspectors found that emotional and social needs were not being met.

    “The majority of people remained in their rooms without much interaction apart from care tasks.” from the report

  • Staffing and competence

    serious

    Staffing levels were not shown to be enough for people's needs. Training, induction and competency checks, including for medicines, were incomplete.

    “Staffing levels were not sufficient to meet all people's needs.” from the report

  • Communication problems

    serious

    Some newer staff did not communicate well enough with people. Inspectors were not assured that induction and training had checked their competence.

    “Some staff were not explaining to people what they were going to do and were unable to provide the reassurance needed.” from the report

  • Food and fluids

    serious

    Fluid records showed that people regularly missed their targets. Food choices and consistency were also not reliably managed.

    “People were not always supported with enough to drink and maintain a balanced diet.” from the report

  • Weak management oversight

    serious

    Audits did not cover all important areas, and actions were not consistently followed through. Complaints and incidents did not reliably lead to learning or change.

    “The provider had failed to maintain effective oversight of the service and had good governance systems in place.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What has changed since the inspection to make sure every person's care plan is accurate, current and reviewed with them or their relatives?
  2. 02How are staffing levels now calculated for each floor and each person's needs, especially when people need two staff or emotional support?
  3. 03How do you check that permanent, agency and overseas-recruited staff can communicate effectively and are competent to provide care and administer medicines?
  4. 04What activities and one-to-one support are now available for people who spend most of their time in their rooms?
  5. 05How do you monitor food and fluid intake, and what happens when someone repeatedly misses their target?

This was a full, unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, the premises, care provided, infection prevention and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Sun Court Nursing Home

4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has slipped, from Requires improvement to Inadequate.

  1. February 2024Inadequatecurrent ratingdown from Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate

    Read what inspectors found at Sun Court Nursing Home →

  2. June 2022Requires improvementup from Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  3. November 2021Inadequatedown from Requires improvement
    Safe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
  4. October 2020Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  5. February 2023

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 February 2023.

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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