Two care homes ended the year with inspection reports from the Care Quality Commission - both receiving an overall rating of 'good'.

Hardy Drive care home in Royston - run by the Royal Mencap Society - was inspected on December 7, and staff received the report on Christmas Eve.

The home provides care and support for up to six people with a learning disability - it currently has five residents.

It received ratings of 'good' in the following areas: safe, caring, responsive, and well-led. Its effectiveness 'requires improvement'.

At the last inspection in 2019, it was given an overall rating of 'requires improvement'.

The CQC, the care provider watchdog, said it received concerns in relation to supporting people’s health and wellbeing. As a result of the inspection, the site's rating was upgraded.

The latest report said: "Staff provided care that was safe, and risks were managed appropriately.

"This was because staff were well trained, and systems were in place to report concerns.

"There was a consistent staff team, who had been safely recruited. Medicines were well managed, and staff received training to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled.

"Systems were in place to report and respond to accidents and incidents. Where discrepancies occurred, these were addressed and action taken."

The report continued: "People were safe from abuse and staff understood how to protect people. The service and its staff team worked well with other agencies to do so."

Regarding infection and COVID safe measures, the inspector said: "We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections. We were assured that the provider was meeting shielding and social distancing rules.

"We were assured that the provider was admitting people safely to the service, that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely, that the provider was accessing testing for people using the service and staff and they were promoting safety through the layout and hygiene practices of the premises."

About learning lessons when things go wrong, the report continued: "The provider and registered manager ensured that where things went wrong these were shared and as an organisation learnt from this and shared experiences to enable better support for people."

Southwell Court in Melbourn's Hinkins Close is a residential home for up to 40 adults who require nursing or personal care, run by Black Swan International Limited. It currently has 15 residents.

A previous overall rating from April 2021 was 'good' but there was another inspection in November to check on a specific concern about safe staffing levels and safe medicines management.

Following the inspection, the report - published on December 17 - said: "We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns."

The report said: "People gave us positive feedback about the care and support they received from staff.

"There were enough suitably trained staff to meet people's care and support requirements promptly.

"Staff administered, stored and disposed of people's medicines safely.

"Audits were completed to monitor staffs' safe medicines administration. Infection control practices, in line with government guidance, were in place to reduce the risk of cross contamination.

"We received positive feedback from people about the cleanliness of the service.

"Staff told us they had training in infection prevention and control and had plenty of personal protective equipment to support people safely.

"People also confirmed their friends and relatives were able to visit them.

"Staff supported and encouraged people to independently self-administer their own medicines when risk assessed as being safe to do so, staff were trained to administer people's medicines safely and had their competency checked, and staff administered, stored and disposed of people's medicines safely."

For more information, or to read the reports in full, go to the CQC website and search Southwell Court and Hardy Drive.