Interested to hear peoples views on poor CQC reports. I do keep an open mind but social services are suggesting a placement for my Dad that failed 2/5 areas last year and in 2015 failed all areas, was put in special measures and was in the news!!
My wife has recently gone into a nursing home, organised by our LA as her savings are just below the upper threshold. This all happened quite quickly, and I was sent a shortlist of NH's with vacancies. It was a very short list as there are only 3 NH's in our area, only 2 taking LA clients. The rest of those on the list were all at least 25 miles away!
In the end, only 1 local NH had a suitable vacancy, so I checked their CQC report (May 2018) which was needing improvement in all categories.
However, I visited the home and had a long chat with the manager, who explained that she had returned last year, after a long absence working for another company. They have just had another assessment and whilst still needing improvement, it is now only in 2 categories.
Although the building is old and tired, I got a good feeling about the team there and as a back-up, got a second opinion from my son's partner. She runs a care facility locally, for young adults with special needs and she too, was impressed with how the manager has improved things in just over a year.
It is also worth noting that homes judged as needing improvement are usually inspected more frequently. Those with Good ratings can often be left for several years, unless the CQC receive any concerns flagged to them, so I tend to look to see how long it's been since the last inspection.
You've nothing to loose by going to look for yourself. Good luck.
Phil