Pear Tree Court

This inspection report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assesses Pear Tree Court, a residential and nursing care home. The report covers key areas including safety, effectiveness of care, how caring the staff are, responsiveness to needs, and leadership. It aims to provide families with an overview of the home's performance and identify areas of strength and areas where improvements are needed to ensure residents receive the best possible care.

On safety, risks to residents were not always consistently assessed or managed, and record-keeping in this area lacked accuracy. While actions were underway to improve risk management, their effectiveness needed to be ensured. The management of medicines also required improvement, particularly concerning controlled drugs, storage, topical treatments, and decision-making processes, although no harm to residents was identified.

In terms of how effective the care is, mixed feedback was received regarding staffing levels. However, the provider's system for calculating staffing needs indicated sufficient staff were available, and efforts had been made to deploy staff more effectively. The manager and staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities, and incidents were reviewed to ensure appropriate actions were taken.

Regarding how caring the staff are, while there were positive comments about the care provided and staff from some residents and relatives, the inspection observed instances where staff did not always treat people with dignity and respect. The manager took immediate action on these observations, and there were efforts to address difficulties in establishing a positive team culture.

The responsiveness of the service involved a limited approach to gathering feedback from staff, relatives, and residents, though the provider cited COVID-19 safety as a priority. Despite this, the service had received compliments and a high score on a care home review website, indicating positive aspects of the care provided.

Concerning how well-led the service is, quality assurance systems had not always effectively identified concerns or driven improvements. The report highlighted issues with the accuracy and completeness of resident records, which had not always been detected by management. The provider had been taking steps to improve risk management and medication processes following identified concerns, and a new manager had received positive feedback.