The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England, maintaining rigorous standards against which care providers, such as Loveday, are regularly and thoroughly assessed.
They have curated a list of core standards and questions they use to conduct assessments of care providers and verify that care is safe, effective and of a high standard.
In our most recent assessment by the CQC, Loveday received the highest possible rating of “Outstanding”, affirming our commitment to delivering exceptional nursing, dementia, respite, palliative and specialist care at our residences.
We have detailed below the criteria the CQC uses to make their assessment. Read on to learn more about their standards and the diligence required from care providers to meet and exceed them.
Assessment Questions
When conducting reviews, CQC assessors measure the provider against five core questions to determine the quality of their care.
Are They Safe?
Are residents protected from harm during their stay? This includes preventable injury, such as accidents, as well as abuse and ill treatment.
Are They Effective?
Care is carefully assessed to ensure that it supports the best possible outcomes for the individual. A provider should use the best evidence available to them to deliver care that enhances wellbeing and improves quality of life.
Are They Caring?
Assessors monitor providers diligently to ensure that all residents are treated with dignity and respect during their stay and that care is administered with compassion.
Are They Responsive to People’s Needs?
Care services must be organised and equipped to effectively meet the clinical needs of residents and adapt as care needs evolve. This requires a diligent and responsive team able to closely monitor residents’ conditions.
Are They Well-Led?
The organisation as a whole must be devoted to providing the highest quality of care tailored to an individual. The CQC assesses the leadership and governance of the provider to verify that they are not only operating fairly and treating their team with respect, but also encouraging continual innovation and development to further improve their care provision.
The Fourteen Fundamental Standards of Care
1. Person-Centred Care
Care must be tailored uniquely to you and your needs, precisely meeting clinical requirements, effectively managing symptoms and conditions and accounting for personal preferences such as religious guidelines.
2. Safety
Providers have a duty to deliver safe and proper care without avoidable risk of harm. This standard requires providers to undergo extensive assessments of their processes, treatments and teams to ensure all care is delivered with the highest levels of skill and competence.
3. Premises and Equipment
All residences must be clean, suitable and regularly maintained to facilitate expert clinical care. Equipment is carefully assessed to verify it is safe, reliable and effective in its purpose, and that teams are properly trained and competent in its use.
4. Food and Drink
Your care must include adequate sustenance to “keep you in good health” during your time in nursing care. Luxury care providers, like Loveday, carefully consider diet and nutrition as part of your care plan. Providing delicious, carefully balanced meals to optimise wellbeing and recovery and will tailor the menu to include your favourite dishes.
5. Dignity and Respect
All residents are entitled to dignified and respectful treatment at all times during their stay. This includes the right to privacy, ideally through single-person suites and bathrooms, equal treatment without discrimination and personal support in maintaining your independence.
6. Consent
All care and treatment you receive must be with your full and informed consent. If you are unable to consent, care providers must seek it from an individual you’ve chosen to legally act on your behalf.
7. Duty of Candour
Your care provider must provide clear and transparent updates about your care, including the treatments and medications you are receiving and changes in your condition. The most diligent providers maintain clear and open lines of communication with you and your loved ones to keep you fully informed.
8. Safeguarding From Abuse
You are entitled to protection from improper treatment during your time in nursing care. Providers are carefully assessed to ensure that residents are not neglected, exposed to degrading conditions or treatments, or placed under disproportionate restraint. CQC assessors also examine an individual’s independence to ensure they can freely pursue their lifestyle without undue limitations.
9. The Right to Complain
Providers must have a process for residents to make complaints and prove they thoroughly investigate and resolve any issues raised.
10. Visitation
You are entitled to receive visitors when in nursing care. Your provider should either provide communal spaces in the residence for visitors to meet you, allow you to leave for external visits without difficulty or both. Additionally, you have the right to bring loved ones with you to hospital or GP appointments for your comfort and reassurance.
11. Good Governance
Your care provider must be effectively managed by a leadership devoted to meeting these standards, and have checks in place to ensure the quality and effectiveness of care, continually improve service and mitigate any potential risks to safety and welfare.
12. Staffing
Your care provider must have a team of highly trained, qualified and competent experts who deliver conscientious and effective care to the level required by these standards. Every team member must also receive the necessary support and training required to perform their role properly.
13. Fit and Proper Staff
Care providers must have robust recruitment processes to source only high-quality candidates for care delivery roles, ensuring each member of the team possesses the necessary skills, qualifications and experience. They must also undertake criminal background and work history checks on all relevant applicants to ensure the safety of residents.
14. Display of Ratings
The ratings from CQC assessments must be clearly displayed where residents and team members can easily see them, as well as being made available online. Additionally, your care provider is obligated to provide their latest CQC report to you upon request.
Loveday is Rated “Outstanding” by the CQC
Loveday has been rated overall “Outstanding” in our most recent assessment by the CQC, indicating that “the service is performing exceptionally well” in providing high-quality, compassionate and highly tailored nursing care.
Learn more about how we meet and exceed the CQC’s exacting standards with personalised luxury care by contacting our team. You can reach us by calling 020 4530 4700 or arranging a free private tour of one of our exclusive London and Surrey residences.
