CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre: Targeted inspection not rated; inspectors found strong COVID-19 infection prevention arrangements.
The inspection took place on 1 February 2022 and was announced 24 hours in advance. It was a targeted inspection during the COVID-19 response.
Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, and asked about staffing pressures. They found the home was clean, had suitable protective equipment, and had systems for testing, vaccination checks and managing outbreaks.
The home helped people keep in touch with relatives through visits and technology. The inspection was not a full assessment of the home, so it did not give an overall quality rating.
Infection control
The home had systems to prevent infections spreading. Inspectors found the environment was clean and that extra cleaning was taking place on frequently touched surfaces.
“Systems were in place to help prevent people, staff and visitors from catching or spreading infection.” from the report
Protective equipment
Staff had suitable protective equipment, enough supplies and training in how to use it. Weekly checks were carried out to make sure supplies remained available.
“Staff wore appropriate PPE and there were sufficient supplies.” from the report
Testing and vaccination checks
People and staff took part in regular testing. The service also checked vaccination status for staff and visiting professionals.
“People and staff participated in a regular testing programme.” from the report
Keeping in touch
People and their relatives were supported to maintain contact through technology and visits to the home.
“People and their relatives were supported to keep in contact using a range of technology and with visits to the home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing pressures affecting people's care and support now?
- 02How often are infection prevention and control audits carried out, and can families see the findings?
- 03How do you make sure there is always enough protective equipment for staff?
- 04What are the current arrangements for visits and helping residents keep in touch with relatives?
- 05How are testing and vaccination checks managed for staff and visiting professionals?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 February 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, August 2018
Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements sustained since the previous inspection.
This was a comprehensive inspection over 11, 15 and 20 June 2018. The first day was unannounced. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care plans, medicines records, recruitment files and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, good support with food and healthcare, respectful care, personalised care plans, activities and effective quality checks.
The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement after problems with staffing, nutrition monitoring, complaints and management systems. A focused inspection in August 2017 found improvements, and this inspection found those improvements had been maintained and developed.
Staffing and safety
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient and that the home had plans to cover unexpected staff absences. Risks, safeguarding concerns and the building were monitored.
“During this inspection we found staffing levels to be sufficient to meet people's needs.” from the report
Nutrition and healthcare
The home monitored people at risk of malnutrition and involved dieticians and speech and language therapists where needed. People were also supported to see other health professionals.
“People at risk of malnutrition were weighed weekly and food and fluid intake was recorded daily.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw people treated discreetly and respectfully, with support for their choices and independence.
“Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were supported in a way that promoted their independence.” from the report
Personalised care and activities
Care plans included people’s preferences, communication needs and abilities. The home offered group and one-to-one activities, outings and redesigned rooms for social activities.
“Care plans were personalised, detailed and reviewed regularly and included people's personal preferences.” from the report
Call bell response was not always consistent
minorMost evidence about staffing was positive, but one person said call bells were answered more quickly at some times than others. Another person felt staff were sometimes too short-staffed for conversation and support.
“Sometimes they come quickly (when they press the call bell) and others not too quickly.” from the report
More interaction could be offered
minorFeedback was mostly positive, but one person identified more interaction from care workers as an area for improvement.
“One area for identified for improvement by one person was around more interaction from care workers.” from the report
- 01How do you check that call bells are answered promptly on every shift?
- 02How do you adjust staffing when people’s needs increase or staff are unexpectedly absent?
- 03How will you monitor my relative’s weight, food and fluid intake if they are at risk of malnutrition?
- 04Which activities and community outings would suit my relative’s interests and abilities?
- 05How are concerns raised by residents and relatives recorded, investigated and followed up?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and both the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 August 2018 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 Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre
4 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre →
- August 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Enhanced Elderly Care Service - Wardley Gate Care Centre →
- September 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 March 2015.
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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48 live-in carers within about an hour of Gateshead
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 £1,240 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.”
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