Our response to the CQC report

CQC said: records for externally administered medications, such as creams did not demonstrate people received these as required.

Our response: We acknowledge at the time of inspection there were gaps in records for administration of creams- and this has been addressed with the team and is carefully monitored. As an organisation we have reviewed our procedure for recording administration of creams to improve ease of recording for our carers which will improve our records and also management oversight. 

CQC said: People’s risk assessments did not always include how risks were mitigated- there was some guidance in care plans but did not always cover all risks identified in risk assessments 

Our response: We believe that our risk assessment process is robust and where risks are identified, this information is reflected in our care plans. Following feedback from our inspection, we have checked all risk assessments against our care plans to ensure all relevant information is captured and available within the care plans for our residents. 

CQC said: Despite the provider’s own monitoring systems identifying shortfalls, the improvements needed had not been implemented yet. 

Our response: as an organisation, we are always striving to further improve and develop our services, and pride ourselves in being open, honest and transparent about the areas of our service that we have found to require attention or development. We view our improvement plan as an ongoing working tool to help identify and address shortfalls, with a realistic viewpoint that genuine improvements and changes take time to embed within a service. 

CQC said: Improvements were needed in records maintained to show the care and support provided in a daily basis. 

Our response: Daily notes for our residents continue to be an area that needs developing, as an organisation we continue to work closely with our staff and the systems we use to make recording care and support delivered as manageable as possible including review of our systems and training that is provided. 

CQC said: Some care plans had been reviewed, however we found inconsistencies in care plans and some were not up to date- which was a risk that people could receive unsafe or inappropriate care

Our response: Care plans are reviewed monthly or more often where required- the example given by CQC in respect of the care plan being out of date was in relation to physiotherapy exercises which were no longer needed- whilst this is true and should have been updated or removed, in our view this did not pose a risk to the resident involved. Following the feedback from CQC we have checked our care plans to ensure they are fully reflective of our resident’s needs. 

Overall, we feel that the report showcases many of the positive aspects of the day to day life in Allonsfield Nursing Home- and we continue to be extremely proud of the dedicated and hardworking staff team who make the home a positive environment to both live and work in.