CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at La Cura House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found effective risk assessments, safe recruitment, sufficient staffing, safe medicines management and good infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed and care was delivered by trained staff. People were supported with food, drink, healthcare and decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People and relatives were involved in decisions, and staff supported people's independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans included people's preferences and communication needs. People were supported with activities, relationships, complaints and end-of-life wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The management team was open, approachable and responsive. Managers used feedback and incidents to improve the service and worked well with outside professionals.
What inspectors found, February 2022
La Cura House rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with some dementia-friendly improvements still planned.
Inspectors visited without notice on 10 and 15 December 2021. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, recruitment records, training and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were treated with kindness and respect, involved in decisions, and supported by staff who understood their needs and preferences.
The home had safe staffing, recruitment, medicines and infection control arrangements. Care was personalised, complaints were handled appropriately, and managers were described as approachable and responsive.
Inspectors noted that the dementia care area was not yet fully adapted. The home said it would improve this, including helping people identify their bedrooms. This was the first inspection since the service registered in 2020. The previous provider had been rated Good in 2019.
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff knew people's preferences and involved them in decisions about their care.
“People were treated with kindness and compassion and staff knew their preferences.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to keep people safe. Recruitment checks, staff training, medicines administration and medicine audits were in place.
“The service employed sufficient staff to keep people safe.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's choices, communication needs, favourite foods and personal care preferences. Staff understood people's personalities and interests.
“Care was personalised to people's needs and preferences.” from the report
Support with eating and drinking
People met their daily food and fluid targets. The home had added nutritional support workers for people who found eating and drinking difficult.
“The service had introduced nutritional support staff who work specifically with people who found it hard to eat and drink.” from the report
Open management
People, relatives, staff and visiting professionals described managers as approachable and responsive. The management team acted on feedback and incidents.
“The culture of the service was open and person centred.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
minorThe dementia care floor was not fully adapted to help people recognise their surroundings. For example, bedroom doors did not identify whose room they were, although the manager said this would be addressed.
“The design and décor of the floor for those people living with a dementia was not optimised for dementia care.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to help people living with dementia identify their bedrooms?
- 02What are the plans and timescales for creating a more dementia-friendly environment?
- 03How do nutritional support workers help people who find eating and drinking difficult?
- 04How are relatives involved in care decisions and emergency end-of-life care plans?
- 05What activities are now available following the appointment of the new activity coordinator?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including infection prevention and control and COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 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.
Every inspection of La Cura House
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.
- February 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2017InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- March 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 March 2020.
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.