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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Hightown Housing Association

The Crossings

108A Aylesbury Road, Wendover, Aylesbury, HP22 6LX

Goodpublished 10 November 2023, 2 years ago

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

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors found enough suitable staff, safe recruitment, good safeguarding and risk management, and safe medicines support. They were mostly assured about the premises' layout and hygiene checks and asked for more thorough checks inside and outside.
Effective?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
Caring?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
Well-led?
Good
Inspectors found a positive, open culture, clear management arrangements and audits to monitor care. They recommended improving the detail recorded about people's daily activities, choices and decisions.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, November 2023

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care and strong leadership, with some record-keeping and property checks needing improvement.

This was an unannounced focused inspection on 16 and 17 October 2023. Inspectors observed care, spoke with four people, five relatives, six staff members and healthcare professionals, and reviewed care, medicines and management records.

The home was rated Good overall. Safe and well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found enough suitable staff, safe medicines support, good safeguarding and risk management, and a positive management culture.

People appeared relaxed and happy. Staff knew people well and supported their communication, choices, dignity and cultural needs. Relatives and healthcare professionals gave positive feedback.

Some records did not give enough detail about people's daily activities, choices and decisions. Inspectors also asked for more thorough checks inside and outside the property. The other three areas were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings were used for the overall rating.

What inspectors praised

  • Kind and respectful care

    People appeared relaxed and happy. Staff supported people's privacy, dignity, communication and individual needs.

    “People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity.” from the report

  • Safe staffing

    The earlier staffing concern had been addressed. Inspectors found enough suitable staff and safe recruitment arrangements.

    “The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff.” from the report

  • Good safeguarding

    Staff knew people well, understood how to protect them from abuse and knew how to report concerns.

    “People and those who matter to them had safeguarding information in a form they could use, and they knew how and when to raise a safeguarding concern.” from the report

  • Positive leadership

    The home had a clear management structure and systems for checking the quality of care and making improvements.

    “The provider had a clear management structure that monitored the quality of care to drive improvements in service delivery.” from the report

  • Safe medicines support

    Staff supported people with medicines safely and reviewed their effects on health and wellbeing.

    “People were supported to receive their medicines safely.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • Daily records need more detail

    needs fixing

    Some records did not fully show people's individuality, choices and decisions during the day. Inspectors recommended support for staff to improve this recording.

    “We recommend the provider ensures staff receive support to improve the recording of people's daily activities, choices and decisions.” from the report

  • Property checks

    needs fixing

    Inspectors were only mostly assured about the safety of the premises' layout and hygiene practices. They asked the provider to make more thorough checks inside and outside the property.

    “We have asked the provider to ensure thorough checks are made both inside and outside of the property.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What changes have you made to record people's daily activities, choices and decisions?
  2. 02How do you now carry out and record thorough checks inside and outside the property?
  3. 03How will staff support my relative's individual communication system and show that their choices are being followed?
  4. 04How do you review medicines and check that they continue to be appropriate for each person?
  5. 05What were the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive at the previous comprehensive inspection?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried over from the last inspection when calculating the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 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 The Crossings

2 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

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

    Read what inspectors found at The Crossings →

  2. September 2017Good
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

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

  3. October 2016

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 October 2016.

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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