CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Abbeyvale Care Centre
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were being followed. They reviewed areas including PPE, testing, cleaning, admissions, distancing and outbreak management.
- Effective?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, November 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection prevention and control practices.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 20 October 2020. It focused only on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing visitors, distancing, admissions, personal protective equipment, testing, cleaning and possible outbreaks safely. They also found that the infection control policy was up to date.
The home was not given an overall rating or a Safe rating. This means the inspection did not assess the full range of care quality questions.
Infection control
The home used checks for visitors and extra cleaning to reduce the spread of infection.
“The home was following good practice to prevent staff and visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
PPE and training
Staff had training in putting on and removing PPE, hand hygiene and other COVID-19 measures.
“Staff had undertaken training which included putting on and taking off PPE, hand hygiene and other COVID-19 related training.” from the report
Ongoing checks
The home carried out infection control audits and continued to review its checks.
“Infection control audits and checks were carried out.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently screened for symptoms and infection risks?
- 02How do you make sure staff use PPE correctly and keep their training up to date?
- 03How often are infection control audits and cleaning checks completed, and can families see the results?
- 04What arrangements are in place if a resident needs to isolate or if there is an infection outbreak?
- 05How are residents supported to keep in touch with family while infection control measures are in place?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 November 2020 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, December 2019
Abbeyvale Care Centre was rated Good in all areas, with safe, kind and personalised care found during the first inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 14 November 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff recruitment files and quality records.
The home supported up to 42 people and had 37 residents at the inspection. It specialised in caring for people living with dementia and mental health conditions. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated kindly and supported to make choices.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspectors found consistently good care and management at the time of the visit. This was the first inspection since the service registered with the CQC.
Safety systems
Inspectors found effective safeguarding arrangements, regular risk reviews and a safe environment. Staff understood how to protect people from harm.
“The provider had effective safeguarding systems in place.” from the report
Medicines management
Medicines were managed safely. Staff who gave medicines were trained and knowledgeable, and regular checks were used to identify improvements.
“Medicine audits and checks were completed regularly. They were effective in highlighting areas for improvement.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as kind and supportive. Inspectors found that staff respected privacy, dignity, independence and personal beliefs.
“Staff were kind and had developed caring relationships with people.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's individual needs and preferences. People and relatives were involved in making decisions about care.
“People had personalised care plans. They clearly described the care people required to meet their needs.” from the report
Quality oversight
The home had systems for checking the quality of care and using feedback to make improvements. Staff described the manager as approachable and supportive.
“The provider had an effective quality assurance system to review areas of the service and to drive improvement.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What progress has been made with the plans to make the environment more dementia-friendly?
- 02Has the residents' committee and new person-centred activities planner been introduced?
- 03How are my relative's care plan and risks reviewed, and how can our family contribute?
- 04How will you keep us informed about health appointments and input from professionals such as speech and language therapists or the falls team?
- 05How often are medicines audits completed, and how are any improvements followed up?
This was an unannounced first inspection covering all five CQC questions, including both the care provided and the home's premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 December 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Abbeyvale Care Centre
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- November 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2019GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 October 2018.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
47 live-in carers within about an hour of County Durham
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £960 to £1,210 a week. 42 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.