CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Holy Cross
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staffing, risk management, medicines, recruitment and infection control were all found to be safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not assessed during the focused inspection. The rating used for the overall result came from the previous inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not assessed during the focused inspection. The rating used for the overall result came from the previous inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not assessed during the focused inspection. The rating used for the overall result came from the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found positive leadership, clear responsibilities, regular quality checks and consultation with people, relatives and staff.
What inspectors found, September 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe, well cared for and supported by effective management.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 22 June and 4 July 2023. Inspectors and experts by experience spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed communal areas, checked the building and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and quality records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, appropriate safeguarding, well-managed risks and effective infection control. They found no evidence that people were at risk of harm during this inspection.
The inspection did not assess all five areas of care. The overall Good rating therefore also used ratings from the previous inspection, published on 4 March 2018. The overall rating remained Good.
Enough staff
Inspectors found there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staffing levels were linked to individual support needs.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were administered and stored safely. Staff had up-to-date training and regular checks were used to identify errors.
“Staff safely administered and managed people's medicines.” from the report
Positive culture
People, relatives and staff described a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Inspectors found that leaders and staff promoted a positive culture.
“The provider, registered manager and staff promoted a positive culture in the home.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The provider and manager used audits and feedback to monitor the service and support improvement.
“The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place which included regular audits.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess staffing levels against my relative's individual needs?
- 02How will you make sure my relative's medicines are given safely, especially any time-critical or when-required medicines?
- 03What current checks do you carry out to prevent and manage infection outbreaks?
- 04What is the current evidence that care is effective and responsive to my relative's needs, as these areas were not assessed in this inspection?
- 05How will you involve my relative and our family in care reviews and decisions?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings used in the overall Good rating came from the previous inspection published on 4 March 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 September 2023 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, March 2018
Holy Cross rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and responsive care, with sufficient staff despite some vacancies.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 25 January 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, family members, staff and a visiting health professional. They reviewed care records, staff files, medicines records and quality checks, and observed care.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, safe medicines arrangements, suitable training, clean premises and appropriate risk checks.
People and families described the care as kind and respectful. Care plans reflected people's individual needs and choices. Activities, complaints arrangements and checks on service quality were also in place. A previous problem with people waiting too long for meals had improved.
Enough staff on duty
Although there were vacancies, inspectors found enough staff during the visit to keep people safe and meet their needs.
“our observations confirmed there were enough staff on duty to keep people safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and families spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff communicate patiently, protect privacy and treat people with dignity.
“Our observations confirmed staff treated people with dignity and respect” from the report
Individual care plans
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, communication, health, activities and end of life wishes. People and families were involved in planning care.
“Care records were person centred, which means the person was at the centre of any care or support plans” from the report
Improved mealtime support
A delay with meals had been identified at the previous inspection. This time, people received their meals without a long wait and staff supported them in an unhurried way.
“At this inspection we found people were appropriately supported with their dietary needs.” from the report
Quality checks
The provider used audits, meetings, surveys and daily checks to monitor the service and act on issues.
“This demonstrated that the provider gathered information about the quality of their service from a variety of sources and acted to address shortfalls where they were identified.” from the report
Staff vacancies
minorThere were vacancies, including nursing vacancies, and agency nurses were being used. Some people said staff could seem busy, although inspectors found staffing levels sufficient during the visit.
“There were some staff vacancies at the home and the provider was recruiting for new staff, including nursing staff.” from the report
- 01How are the nursing vacancies being covered now, and how do you maintain continuity when agency nurses are used?
- 02How do you monitor staffing when people feel staff are busy, and what happens if someone needs help urgently?
- 03What changes were made after the previous inspection identified long waits for meals?
- 04What activities are available while the home is recruiting for an activities coordinator?
- 05Was the planned electronic care and medicines system introduced in April 2018, and what difference did it make?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions; the report says the previous inspection took place in November 2015 and was also rated Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 March 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 Holy Cross
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- September 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 July 2012.
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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46 live-in carers within about an hour of Sunderland
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 £1,210 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.”
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.