CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Flexible Support Options Limited (Thorntree Way)
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about most infection prevention and control measures, including the use of protective equipment, testing, hygiene and outbreak management. They found that visiting procedures did not fully align with government guidance and that some checks and arrangements were not recorded fully.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, April 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control overall, but visiting arrangements and records did not fully meet guidance.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 19 January 2022. It focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked about staffing pressures.
Inspectors were assured about most infection control arrangements. They found that staff used protective equipment safely, the home was clean and well maintained, and testing, hygiene, social distancing and outbreak procedures were in place.
There were some gaps. Visiting arrangements did not fully match government guidance at the time, and the home needed to improve how it recorded checks on visiting professionals and individual visiting arrangements.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide an overall quality rating or ratings for the other four questions.
Protective equipment
Staff used protective equipment safely and effectively during the inspection.
“Staff used PPE safely and effectively.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean and well maintained, with additional cleaning procedures in place.
“The service was clean and well maintained.” from the report
Communication with relatives
Relatives spoke positively about how staff kept them informed during the pandemic.
“They always keep me informed, they phoned every day to keep me up to date.” from the report
Activities and social life
Relatives said people were supported to take part in activities and go out during the pandemic.
“She's been at shows, panto and goes out for meals.” from the report
Visiting guidance
needs fixingVisiting procedures did not fully align with government guidance at the time of the inspection. The manager was going to review the essential care giver role with people and relatives.
“Whilst visiting procedures did not fully align to government guidelines at the time of the inspection” from the report
Records of visitor checks
minorInspectors signposted the provider to resources about recording checks on visiting professionals and individual visiting arrangements.
“We signposted the provider to additional resources in relation to recording the checks on visiting professionals who attended the service.” from the report
- 01How have you changed visiting arrangements since the inspection so they follow current guidance?
- 02How do you record checks on visiting professionals?
- 03How do you record each person's individual visiting arrangements?
- 04How would you manage staffing pressures during an infection outbreak?
- 05How do you make sure the home remains clean and that protective equipment is used safely?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 April 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, December 2019
Rated Good overall, with Outstanding responsiveness and inspectors finding kind, safe and highly personalised care.
This was a planned inspection on 4 and 5 November 2019. One inspector spoke with seven people, three staff members and managers. They reviewed care, medicine and recruitment records, observed staff interactions and looked around the home.
Inspectors found that people felt safe and were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff understood people's communication needs, supported their independence and provided safe medicines, suitable food and access to healthcare.
The strongest area was responsiveness, which was rated Outstanding. Staff tailored support closely to people's needs, helped them build confidence and take part in activities, and supported them to be part of the wider community.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led were all rated Good. This means the service was meeting the expected standards, while responsiveness was judged to be exceptionally strong.
Personalised support
Staff knew people very well and adapted support to their individual needs, preferences and communication styles.
“The management and staff team took considerable time to understand people's needs and were exceptionally skilled at responding to their needs and preferences.” from the report
Community involvement
People were supported to take part in a wide range of activities and to remain active in their community.
“There was a strong focus on activities and community participation.” from the report
Communication
Communication needs were identified and recorded. Staff received training and used individual communication passports to understand people's wishes and concerns.
“Staff had a clear understanding of each person's individual communication preferences and were able to understand each person's requests and concerns.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People spoke positively about staff, and inspectors saw warm, patient and friendly interactions. Staff respected privacy and supported independence.
“We observed staff supported people in a patient, warm and friendly manner.” from the report
Safe medicines
People received medicines on time, staff were trained, and regular checks were used to identify and address possible errors.
“Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines when they should.” from the report
Local feedback records
minorAt the time of inspection, satisfaction results were collated for the whole organisation rather than separately for this home. The registered manager said location-specific results would be collated in future.
“We saw the results for the whole organisation. The registered manager assured us results for each location would be collated going forward.” from the report
- 01How will you assess and support my relative's specific communication needs, including any non-verbal communication?
- 02What activities and community opportunities would my relative be able to choose from?
- 03How would you respond if my relative's health, behaviour or support needs changed?
- 04How are medicines checked, and how would you tell us about any medicine error?
- 05How will you collect and share feedback specifically about this home rather than the wider organisation?
This was a planned inspection covering all five key questions, the premises and the care provided; the previous overall rating was Good and the Responsive rating improved from Good to Outstanding. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 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 Flexible Support Options Limited (Thorntree Way)
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Flexible Support Options Limited (Thorntree Way) →
- December 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Flexible Support Options Limited (Thorntree Way) →
- May 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 May 2014.
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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23 live-in carers within about an hour of Northumberland
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 £1,190 a week. 20 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.