CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Bywell House Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Bywell House Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection-control arrangements during a COVID-19 outbreak.
This was a targeted inspection on 10 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control during a COVID-19 outbreak. They also asked about staffing pressures and whether these affected care.
The home was closed to most visitors during the outbreak. Staff and visiting professionals were checked, tested and required to use protective equipment. Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed, and found the home clean and hygienic.
The inspection did not give an overall rating or a rated result for Safe. It was not a full inspection of all five areas, so the report does not provide current ratings for Effective, Caring, Responsive or Well-led.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had arrangements to prevent and manage infection. These included testing, protective equipment, visitor controls and an up-to-date policy.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Staff precautions
Staff were fully vaccinated, tested daily and trained to use protective equipment safely.
“All staff working at the home had been fully vaccinated and completed daily lateral flow device tests before coming to work.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was ventilated, clean and hygienic. The provider had also bought equipment to disinfect parts of the building.
“A machine had been purchased that could be used to thoroughly clean parts of the home; this sprayed a fine mist that helped to disinfect and sanitise the premises.” from the report
Visitor arrangements
Visits were controlled during the outbreak, with testing and protective equipment requirements described for when visiting restarted.
“The provider followed government guidance and visits to the home by relatives and friends were arranged by appointment.” from the report
Close contact in communal areas
needs fixingMany people did not understand social distancing, and the layout meant people could be close together in communal areas. Inspectors said risks had been assessed and steps were taken to reduce the risk of serious infection.
“The majority of people did not understand the concept of social distancing, and the layout of the home meant that people were in close contact with each other in communal areas.” from the report
- 01How do you now manage infection risks when people are close together in communal areas?
- 02What arrangements are in place for visits during an outbreak, including testing and protective equipment?
- 03How often are people and staff tested during an outbreak, and what happens when a result is positive?
- 04How do you make sure staffing pressures do not affect people's care?
- 05When was the last full inspection covering Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about staffing pressures; it did not rate the other four key areas. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 March 2022 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, April 2021
Bywell House Care Home: targeted infection-control inspection found good practice, but the service was not rated overall.
Inspectors visited on 25 March 2021. This was an announced, targeted inspection focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The home had recently reopened for new admissions after a COVID-19 outbreak. Inspectors found good arrangements for visitors, including testing, appointments, protective equipment and cleaning. People kept in touch with relatives by video calls when the home was closed.
Inspectors were assured about infection control, testing, protective equipment, cleaning, laundry, staffing and the management of outbreaks. The service was marked inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Visitor safety
Visitors had to book in advance and receive a negative rapid test before visiting. They were given protective equipment, and visits usually took place in a separate chalet that was cleaned between visits.
“Visitors were supplied with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, aprons and gloves.” from the report
Infection-control systems
Inspectors found systems to prevent infection, including staff training and checks on hand-washing, access to protective equipment and regular cleaning.
“The home had introduced and maintained effective systems and processes to prevent the spread of infection.” from the report
Testing arrangements
Staff had regular rapid and laboratory tests, and people living at the home had regular laboratory tests, with exemptions noted for some people who had previously had COVID-19.
“Staff undertook twice weekly LFD tests and weekly Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.” from the report
Staffing and laundry
Inspectors saw that laundry, including soiled items, was managed safely. They also found enough staff to support people safely.
“There were sufficient staff to support people safely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection-control arrangements are now used for visits, including testing, protective equipment and appointment rules?
- 02How would you manage a new infection outbreak, and how would relatives keep in touch if visits had to stop?
- 03How often are staff and residents tested now, and how are staff checked on hand-washing and other infection-control practices?
- 04When was the home last inspected in areas other than infection control, and what ratings were given?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe question; the service was inspected but not rated in this report and the other questions were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 April 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.
Every inspection of Bywell House Care Home
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 January 2011.
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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