CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Forest Hall
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found appropriate safeguarding, risk management, recruitment and medicines systems. The home had also changed its processes after minor medicine errors.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, staff received training and supervision, and people were supported with food, healthcare and other professional services. Inspectors noted that mandatory training was limited and did not clearly cover some areas.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff understood people's personalities and supported their choices, privacy and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and people were supported with communication, family contact, activities and community access. Care records were very detailed but often repeated the same information.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had supportive leadership and worked with other agencies. Some audits were limited in scope and did not always show clearly what action was needed.
What inspectors found, April 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with improvements needed to care records, training and quality checks.
This was the home's first inspection since it registered. One inspector visited on 16 March 2020, spoke with one person and two staff, and later spoke with one relative. Records about care, medicines, staff recruitment, training and management were also checked.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe, well looked after and happy. Staff supported people's choices, independence, health needs, communication and activities in the community.
Inspectors identified three areas for improvement. Care records contained repeated information, mandatory training did not cover some areas clearly, and some quality audits were not detailed enough. These were recommendations, not breaches of regulations.
Safe care
Inspectors found suitable safeguarding, risk management, recruitment and medicines arrangements. Staff said there were enough staff to support people.
“The service was safe, and systems were in place to protect people from abuse.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People were happy living at the home and staff understood their needs, preferences and personalities.
“People looked happy and relaxed in staff company and told us they were happy living at the home” from the report
Choice and independence
The home supported people to make choices, develop skills, maintain privacy and take part in community activities.
“They don't over support and are well able to tailor the support to maximise independence.” from the report
Good partnership working
The home worked with health and social care professionals and helped people attend healthcare appointments.
“The service worked closely with a range of other agencies.” from the report
Care records were repetitive
needs fixingCare plans were detailed and regularly reviewed, but repeated information could make them harder for staff to use and update.
“However, information for care staff and risk assessment information was often duplicated.” from the report
Mandatory training was limited
needs fixingInspectors found that the required training did not clearly cover areas such as equality and diversity, although the manager later provided information about wider training.
“We noted that mandatory training was limited and did not specifically cover such areas as equality and diversity.” from the report
Quality audits needed more detail
needs fixingThe home had several checks in place, but some were limited and did not always make the required follow-up action clear.
“However, some of these audits processes were limited in scope and it was not always possible to identify actions from the process.” from the report
- 01How have you reorganised care records so repeated information does not make important guidance harder to find?
- 02What mandatory training do staff now complete, including training on equality and diversity?
- 03How do your audits identify problems and record the action taken?
- 04How do you check that people continue to make choices and develop independence?
- 05How are medicines checked following the minor medicine errors mentioned in the report?
This was the home's first planned inspection and covered all five CQC questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 April 2020 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 Forest Hall
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- April 2020Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 April 2019.
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
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
30 live-in carers within about an hour of North Tyneside
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 £1,130 a week. 26 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.”
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.