Skip to content
CQC ExplainedEvery inspection report, in plain English

CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by London Paramount Care

Sunny View House

61 Tuffnells Way, Harpenden, AL5 3HA

Goodpublished 30 November 2023, 2 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
The person felt safe and staff understood how to support them during emotional distress. However, risk assessments did not give enough guidance about a medical condition, and there were recruitment record gaps in the two staff files checked.
Effective?
Good
Staff received induction, supervision and competency checks, and worked with health professionals. Not all staff had received training about the person's medical condition at the time of inspection, although the home said this had been arranged.
Caring?
Good
The person was treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff involved the person and their family in care planning and supported the person's choices and relationships.
Responsive?
Good
Support was personalised and included activities, communication methods and interests chosen by the person. Care plans did not always explain clearly how goals would be achieved, and end-of-life wishes were recorded only very briefly.
Well-led?
Good
Managers were approachable, monitored quality and worked with other services. However, daily records lacked enough detail to show what support had been provided, leading to a recommendation.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, November 2023

Sunny View House was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe and person-centred care, but records and some staff training needed improvement.

This was the home's first inspection. Two inspectors visited on 24 October 2023 and reviewed information until 8 November 2023. They spoke with the person living there and four staff, and checked care records, two staff files and management records.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that the person felt safe, was treated with kindness and had choice over daily life, activities, food and personal care.

There were some shortfalls. Risk assessments did not give enough guidance about a medical condition, end-of-life wishes were not recorded in enough detail, and daily records did not always explain what support had been provided. Inspectors also found gaps in two employment histories, one missing reference and some training that had not yet been completed.

The report made one recommendation about improving daily records. It did not report any breached regulations or enforcement action.

What inspectors praised

  • Choice and independence

    The person was supported to make choices and take an active role in their care, medicines, meals and activities.

    “The person was supported to have maximum choice and control of their life and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests;” from the report

  • Feeling safe

    The person said they felt safe and trusted staff to help when they were anxious. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and emotional distress.

    “I feel safe with staff and can trust them to know how to help if I'm anxious.” from the report

  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff took time to understand the person's needs, respected their wishes and supported them to maintain important relationships.

    “The person felt listened to and valued by staff.” from the report

  • Activities and community life

    The person was supported to take part in regular social and leisure activities and to go out to places they wanted to visit.

    “The person was supported to participate in their chosen social and leisure interests on a regular basis.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Daily records

    needs fixing

    Daily records did not always show what support had been provided. Inspectors recommended that the home improve its oversight of these records.

    “The registered manager had not ensured staff completed detailed daily records.” from the report

  • Medical care guidance

    needs fixing

    Risk assessments and care plans did not contain enough guidance for staff about a medical condition. Staff knew the person's needs, but the written information was not sufficiently detailed.

    “The person's risk assessments did not include enough guidance for staff to manage a medical condition they had.” from the report

  • End-of-life planning

    needs fixing

    Staff had not received end-of-life care training, and the person's wishes at the end of life were not recorded in enough detail.

    “Staff had not received training in end-of-life care.” from the report

  • Recruitment records

    needs fixing

    The two staff files checked contained unexplained gaps in employment history, and one staff member had only one reference. The manager said an audit was being completed.

    “However, in the 2 files we reviewed there were unexplained gaps in employment history and 1 staff member only had 1 reference.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Have you completed the recommended improvements to daily records, and how do you now check that records clearly show the support provided?
  2. 02What written guidance is now available for staff about the person's medical condition?
  3. 03Have all staff completed training relevant to the person's medical condition?
  4. 04Have staff completed end-of-life care training, and how have the person's wishes been recorded?
  5. 05What did the audit of staff files find about employment history gaps and references?

This was the first inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 November 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 Sunny View House

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

  1. November 2023Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Sunny View House →

  2. March 2021

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 March 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.

Another option

Or stay at home with a private carer

Many people who look at care homes end up staying at home with a carer who comes in for a few hours a day, or lives in. PrimeCarers introduces you to self-employed carers you choose yourself: interviewed, ID and DBS checked, from about £20 an hour or £1,120 a week live-in.

About live-in careHow PrimeCarers works
Same provider

Other services run by London Paramount Care Ltd

21 other services on the CQC register. A pattern across a group tells you more than one report.

Belle Vue

St Albans, AL2
Not yet rated
Residential
Not yet ratedcare home

Corner House

St Albans, AL2
Not yet rated
Residential
Not yet ratedcare home

Fourways

Berkhamsted, HP4
Not yet rated
Residential
Not yet ratedcare home

Greenview House

St Albans, AL2
Not yet rated
Residential
Not yet ratedcare home

Hollywell

Luton, LU2
Not yet rated
Residential
Not yet ratedcare home
Nearby

Other care homes near Harpenden

All in Hertfordshire

Field House Care Home

Harpenden, AL5 · 1.7 km
Requires improvement
NursingDementia
Rated 2 years agocare home

Meadow Acres

Harpenden, AL5 · 3.0 km
Requires improvement
Residential
Rated 5 months agocare home

Willow Court

Harpenden, AL5 · 3.4 km
Good
ResidentialDementia
Rated 7 years agocare home

Harpenden Springs

Harpenden, AL5 · 3.6 km
Not yet rated
NursingDementia
Not yet ratedcare home