If you operate care homes in Newham, you should be prepared for CQC inspections at any time. This planning process should ideally begin the day after your previous CQC inspection so that you can continue to invest in your systems and care quality.
Be prepared at all times
Without this ongoing focus on quality, it is possible for your quality rating to change very quickly. There have been instances where care homes in Newham have seen their rating fall to Inadequate from Outstanding in just one year, especially if there has been a distinct absence of provider monitoring or if the leadership has changed.
Prepare for CQC assessments at your care homes in Newham
These ten-pointers can assist you in getting ready.
1. Ensure your care plans genuinely reflect the needs of your residents. For example, have short-term plans in place to meet the needs of specific health conditions for each resident.
2. Carry out a thorough review of your accident folders to see if any patterns exist. Managers should be investigating logs in the incident and accident folders as part of their standard practices. Your care plan should be updated to reflect the contents of these books and show how you have implemented remedial measures.
3. Examine how your employees interact with co-workers and residents to look for indicators of dignity, empathy, and respect.
4. Assess your safeguarding procedures to ensure that all necessary paperwork is in place and that care plans have been updated to reflect any recent safeguarding incidents or measures.
5. Ensure your staff understand all key processes, procedures, and legislation such as DOLs, MCA, whistleblowing and safeguarding.
6. Carry out feedback surveys amongst your service users, their relatives, your staff, and the professionals that you work with. It allows you to address any issues before you get to the inspection point. Signs of improvement will be very positive in the CQC’s eyes and show your proactive approach to management.
7. Carry out temperature check interviews with your staff. Use a third party if necessary or if your staff are unlikely to open up to you. This is important to assess how well your leadership is progressing. CQC will ask questions that you may not want to, so don’t be afraid to use a third party to ask ‘hard’ questions.
8. Carry out your Key Line of Enquiry Audit (KLOE) in advance. By learning it, you can better monitor compliance and continue to do so.
9. Ensure you are not breaching any CQC regulations. If you are, implement corrections as fast as you can.
10. Put in place measures to create a culture of healthy, positive communication, feedback and idea-sharing. Show that you invest in the training and development of your staff and do everything that you can to create a safe, healthy and compliant environment across your care homes in Newham.
These steps will help you to be CQC-ready at all times.
