CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Balmoral Court Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, February 2021
Rated Good overall, with Good safety and Outstanding leadership; this focused inspection found no evidence of harm from the concern examined.
The inspection took place on 26 November 2020, 08 December 2020 and 07 January 2021. It was a focused inspection after a serious incident in which a person died. The incident was subject to a criminal investigation, so CQC did not examine what happened. It looked at safety, leadership, and parts of effective and responsive care.
Inspectors found people were safe. There were enough suitably trained staff, medicines were managed safely, risks were assessed, and infection control arrangements were in place. People and relatives said staff were kind, caring and supportive.
The home was rated Outstanding for being well-led. Inspectors found strong leadership, effective quality checks, personalised care records and good partnership working with health professionals. Effective and Responsive were inspected but not rated, while Caring was not covered by this focused inspection.
Safe staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found there were enough staff with suitable skills, and checks were completed before staff were recruited.
“People said there were enough staff. One person commented, "Staff come straight away if I want anything.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as kind, polite and supportive. Staff involved people in decisions and respected their rights and independence.
“Carers are amazing, I take my hat off to the staff” from the report
Personalised support
Care records described people's individual needs and preferences. The home reviewed care with people, relatives and professionals.
“Care records were detailed and personalised with details of how people preferred to have their care and support needs carried out.” from the report
Strong leadership
Inspectors found highly effective quality checks, clear responsibilities and a culture of learning and improvement.
“The quality assurance process was highly effective. The governance and improvement agenda were firmly embedded into all areas to improve service provision.” from the report
Good partnership working
The home worked closely with health and other professionals, including for people with complex physical and mental health needs.
“The management staff have been very proactive in working with ourselves.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What has changed since this focused inspection in how you assess and manage risks for residents?
- 02How do you make sure medicines, including 'when required' medicines, are given and recorded safely?
- 03How are care plans updated when a resident's needs, preferences or health change?
- 04How do you support residents with complex physical or mental health needs and work with outside professionals?
- 05How will you keep families informed about infection control, visiting arrangements and any future outbreaks?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, with parts of Effective and Responsive also reviewed; the serious incident was not examined and Caring was not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 February 2021 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, July 2019
Rated Good overall, with Outstanding leadership and inspectors finding safe, kind and personalised care.
This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 28 March and 1 April 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and visiting health professionals. They also observed care and reviewed care, medicines and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. Inspectors found that people felt safe, medicines were managed well, staff were trained and caring, and care was planned around people's needs, choices and preferences.
The home was rated Outstanding for Well-led. Inspectors found strong leadership, good staff morale, useful links with the local community and a clear focus on improving people's lives. The overall rating remained Good, as it was at the previous inspection published in January 2018.
Exceptional leadership
The management team was experienced, approachable and focused on improving care. Staff felt valued, supported and able to suggest changes.
“The service was exceptionally well led.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and helped them feel at ease. Inspectors saw people being treated with dignity, while their individuality and independence were respected.
“People were treated with kindness and compassion.” from the report
Safe medicines and environment
Inspectors found the home clean and well maintained. Medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely by competent staff.
“Medicines were received, stored and disposed of safely.” from the report
Personalised activities
People could join activities based on their interests, both inside and outside the home. The service also used technology and community projects to support wellbeing and reduce isolation.
“People could take part in a range of activities inside and outside of the home.” from the report
Staff visibility on one unit
minorAlthough inspectors found enough staff overall, staff were less visible on one unit and some relatives raised this. The manager said staffing on that unit would be closely monitored.
“Staff on one unit were less visible and some relatives commented on this.” from the report
Limited food variety for some people
minorPeople and relatives generally said the food was good, but some people wanted more variety.
“People and relatives told us the food was good, although some people mentioned they would like more variety.” from the report
- 01How do you monitor staff visibility and response times on the unit my relative would use?
- 02What food choices and variety are available, and how do you respond when someone is unhappy with the menu?
- 03How will you use my relative's life history, likes and dislikes when creating their care plan?
- 04Which activities would suit my relative's interests, communication needs and level of independence?
- 05How are relatives involved in decisions when a person cannot make a significant decision themselves?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall quality of the care home. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 July 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 Balmoral Court Care Home
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2021Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Outstanding
- July 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Outstanding
- January 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 February 2016.
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.
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36 live-in carers within about an hour of Newcastle upon Tyne
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 £950 to £1,160 a week. 30 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.