CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Bluebell House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and there were enough staff to meet their needs. Medicines were managed safely, but inspectors said medicine administration records could be easier to read.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had training, supervision and specialist knowledge to support people. People had access to healthcare, their nutritional needs were met and staff followed the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind and respectful. They offered choices, respected privacy and dignity, and encouraged people to be as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People were supported to access the community, take part in activities and use a complaints process.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager and provider carried out audits and sought feedback from people and staff. Inspectors found a positive culture and said lessons were learned from incidents.
What inspectors found, January 2019
51 Bellevue Grove was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some medicine records needing clearer writing.
This was the home’s first CQC inspection since it registered in November 2017. It was a comprehensive, announced inspection on 27 November 2018. One inspector spoke with one person and eight staff, checked two support plans and two medicine records, reviewed staff files and other records, and toured the home.
Inspectors found that people were kept safe, supported by trained staff and helped to access healthcare. Medicines were given as prescribed, although medicine administration records could have been easier to read. The home was clean and had suitable checks for fire safety, equipment and emergencies.
Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness and respect. People were supported to make choices, build independence, use the local community and take part in activities. The manager and provider carried out checks, listened to feedback and acted on incidents and complaints.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means inspectors found the service met the required standards at the time of this inspection. The report does not identify any breaches of regulations.
Staff knew people well
Staff understood people's likes, dislikes and ways of communicating. This helped them provide personal support and respond when someone became anxious.
“The staff we spoke with were able to give a detailed history of people who used the service, including their likes, dislikes and the best way to approach and support the person” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make everyday choices and develop practical skills such as cooking, shopping and household tasks.
“People were supported by staff with shopping, food preparation and cooking to increase their skills and confidence.” from the report
Community involvement
People spent time in the local community and took part in activities suited to their individual needs and interests.
“People went out in the community either alone or with staff in line with their assessed needs.” from the report
Positive leadership
The manager and provider used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor the home and involve people in decisions.
“A quality assurance system was in place and the registered manager and provider completed regular checks to monitor the quality of the service provided.” from the report
Medicine records were not easy to read
needs fixingMedicines were given as prescribed and there were no gaps in the records. However, inspectors said the writing on medicine administration records needed improvement, and the provider said this would be addressed.
“We identified however, that recording on medicine administration records could be improved to make the forms easier to read.” from the report
- 01What has been done to make medicine administration records easier to read since the inspection?
- 02How do you check that each person's support plan remains up to date when their needs change?
- 03How are people supported to access the community and take part in activities that interest them?
- 04How do people give feedback about the home, and how has that feedback led to changes?
- 05What specialist training do staff receive for the individual needs of the people living here?
This was the first comprehensive, announced inspection of the home and covered all five CQC questions; the provider could not complete its information return because of technical problems. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 January 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 Bluebell House
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- January 2019Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 November 2017.
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
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What to check when you visit
35 live-in carers within about an hour of Middlesbrough
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 £980 to £1,230 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
“I found Alison to be kind , caring helpful concencious... Alison has a heart of gold”
“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.