CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Eden Cottage Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, suitable risk assessments, safe recruitment and safe medicines management. Some topical medicine charts were missing, but this was addressed immediately.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had suitable training and support. People received appropriate food, drink and healthcare, and mental capacity and liberty safeguards were recorded appropriately.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported choice and independence. Inspectors observed friendly and respectful interactions.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised, detailed and regularly reviewed. People could take part in activities, outings and community links, and complaints were handled according to the home's policy.
- Well-led?
- Good
- There was a registered manager and deputy manager, with systems for audits, communication and improvement. Staff, people and relatives were kept informed through meetings and newsletters.
What inspectors found, February 2019
Eden Cottage Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and responsive care, with a small medicines-record issue corrected during the visit.
This was a comprehensive inspection on 22 January 2019. The inspector reviewed care records, staff files, medicine records and management records, and spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine administration, suitable training, personalised care plans and respectful relationships.
People were supported with food, drink, healthcare, activities and community links. The home had a friendly atmosphere, and people and relatives spoke positively about the care.
Inspectors found that some charts for topical medicines were missing. The deputy manager dealt with this immediately by arranging the correct paperwork. The previous overall Good rating was maintained.
Kind and respectful care
People were supported with dignity, privacy, choice and independence. Inspectors saw positive interactions between staff and people.
“People were supported by kind and respectful staff who valued people's individuality and independence.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, life history, wellbeing and care needs. People were involved in reviewing their care.
“The care plans we looked at were up to date, comprehensive and tailored to meet people's individual needs.” from the report
Activities and community links
People could join activities they chose, including singing, hairdressing, letter writing and community outings.
“People were supported to take part in valued individualised activities including regular community outings and entertainment to engage people and prevent social isolation.” from the report
Good management and oversight
The home had regular audits, staff meetings and systems for communicating with families and people living there. Audits had led to improvements.
“There was an effective quality assurance system in place to ensure the quality of the service and drive improvement.” from the report
Some topical medicine charts were missing
minorInspectors found that some charts for topical medicines were not present. The issue was dealt with immediately by arranging the correct paperwork, but families should check that records are now complete.
“People who received topical medicines were supported, however, we found that some charts were not present.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that charts for creams and other topical medicines are present and completed?
- 02How are my relative's care plans reviewed, and how will they and the family be involved?
- 03What activities and community outings would be available for my relative based on their interests?
- 04How do you make sure there are enough staff to provide one-to-one support when needed?
- 05How will you keep the family informed about care, meetings and any changes at the home?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, including care, medicines, staffing, records, premises and management systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 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.
What inspectors found, May 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some worn areas of the building needing improvement.
Inspectors visited unannounced on 4 April 2017. They spoke with people, relatives, staff, managers and health professionals. They observed care and activities, and checked care plans, medicines, recruitment, training, safety records, complaints and quality checks.
The home was judged Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable care plans, kind interactions and meaningful activities. People were supported with food, drink, health care, independence and personal choices.
The home remained Good, matching its previous rating from January 2015. The registered manager was on maternity leave, with a temporary manager in place who was applying to register with the CQC. Inspectors also noted that some hallways were dark and the carpeted areas were worn, with improvement work planned.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors consistently saw staff communicate well and treat people with kindness and respect.
“Without exception we saw staff interacting with people in a person centred and caring way.” from the report
Safe medicines
Inspectors observed medicines being given safely. Records were complete, and staff had been trained and assessed.
“Medicines administration records were completed when medicines were administered to people; we found they had been completed correctly.” from the report
Meaningful activities
People were offered a varied programme of activities and trips. Activities were adapted to people's interests and choices.
“People were actively encouraged to participate in numerous activities that were well thought out, organised, personalised and meaningful to them.” from the report
Supportive management
Relatives and staff found the management approachable. The home used audits, surveys and meetings to identify and address issues.
“Staff we spoke with told us how they felt the management team was supportive and approachable.” from the report
Worn and dark hallways
minorInspectors found the hallways needed updating because they were very dark and some carpets were worn. Management said improvement work was planned.
“However the hallways in the service were in need of updating as these were very dark and the carpeted areas were worn.” from the report
Call bell response times
minorThe home monitored its new call system. The latest records showed that 80.1% of calls were answered within three minutes, so families may want to ask about the remaining calls.
“We saw the most recent reports showed 80.1% of calls were answered within three minutes.” from the report
- 01Has the planned work to update the dark hallways and worn carpets been completed?
- 02What is the current percentage of call bell responses answered within three minutes?
- 03Who is managing the home now, and has the temporary manager completed registration with the CQC?
- 04How will my relative's personal history, preferences and daily routines be recorded and reviewed?
- 05What activities and trips are currently available, and how are people involved in choosing them?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the ratings remained Good compared with the previous inspection in January 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 May 2017 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 Eden Cottage Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 July 2013.
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 Darlington
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 £970 to £1,230 a week. 35 can care for a couple. 11 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.