Chestnut View Care Centre

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of Chestnut View Care Home following an inspection on 24 August 2023. The inspection assessed five key areas: safety, effectiveness of care, how caring the service is, responsiveness to residents' needs, and leadership. The overall findings indicate areas where improvements are necessary to ensure consistent quality and resident well-being, with specific focus on enhancing safety protocols, care planning, and management oversight.

Regarding how safe the service is, significant concerns were identified with the management of risks, particularly around moving and handling, oral health, and the use of call bells, where residents sometimes faced long waits for assistance. Medication management also presented safety issues, with errors in administration and incomplete records. While some aspects of safety were managed well, like wound care, the overall picture requires improvement.

In terms of how effective the care is, assessments of new residents' needs and preferences were sometimes incomplete, and care plans lacked detail on personal histories and wishes. End-of-life care planning also needed to be more thorough. Although staff training occurred and nurses received good supervision, the effectiveness of this training in practice needs review.

On the aspect of caring, while inspectors observed instances of staff being kind and respectful, there were also occasions where residents were not always treated with dignity and choice. Residents were not always supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives, and the home's policies did not always promote the least restrictive approach.

Concerning how responsive the service is, residents and their relatives reported long waits for call bells to be answered, and staff deployment was not always effective in meeting immediate needs. While the home provided access to activities and external healthcare, improvements are needed in how complaints and concerns are handled to ensure timely and effective action.

Finally, looking at how well-led the service is, there was a lack of robust oversight to ensure the quality of care. While recruitment practices were safe and effective, and staff generally felt supported, some staff felt unheard. The management of complaints and concerns was inconsistent, and residents and relatives lacked confidence in the leadership's ability to ensure overall quality.