CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Lindisfarne Birtley
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, June 2021
Lindisfarne Birtley is rated Good; inspectors found safe care and stronger management systems.
This was an unannounced focused inspection carried out on 23 April, 13 May, 24 May and 28 May 2021. Inspectors checked Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control. They spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
People and relatives said they felt safe and were happy with the care. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine arrangements, suitable safeguarding systems and well-maintained equipment. Infection control arrangements, including PPE, testing and visiting arrangements, were also judged satisfactory.
The home had a new manager and had strengthened its checks, care records and action plans after earlier concerns about records and governance. The overall rating was Good, with Safe and Well-led both rated Good. This inspection did not assess Effective, Caring or Responsive.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe and that staff kept people safe. Staff understood how to identify and report abuse.
“People and their relatives told us the care was safe and they were happy at Lindisfarne Birtley.” from the report
Prompt staff response
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and saw staff respond promptly.
“Our observations indicated that staff were prompt to respond to people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw positive interactions. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and relatives said they were made welcome.
“Interactions we saw between people and the staff team were very positive” from the report
Improved management checks
The provider and managers had strengthened audits, improved care records and used action plans to monitor changes.
“They have strengthened audits, improved care records and ensured staff were supported to carry out their roles.” from the report
Manager registration
minorThe new manager was still applying to become registered with the CQC at the time of the inspection.
“The service had a manager who was applying to become registered with the Care Quality Commission.” from the report
- 01How are you checking that the improved care records remain accurate and complete?
- 02What action plans are currently in place, and how do you know they are improving care?
- 03What is the current progress of the manager's application to become registered with the CQC?
- 04How do you make sure there are enough staff on duty for people's changing needs?
- 05How are visitors screened and infection control measures maintained?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 June 2021 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, February 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection prevention and control measures during a targeted COVID-19 review.
Inspectors visited the home on 3 February 2021. The visit was announced and focused on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
They found the home was clean and had extra cleaning, enough personal protective equipment, and suitable arrangements for handwashing, testing, social distancing and visitors. Staff were observed using protective equipment properly.
The home was inspected but not rated. This was not a full inspection, so the report does not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most areas of care.
Clean environment
The home was very clean and had introduced extra cleaning to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Audits were used to check cleanliness.
“The environment was very clean. Additional cleaning had been put in place to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.” from the report
PPE and handwashing
There was a good supply of PPE. Staff had training and were observed using it correctly, and their handwashing was checked.
“Staff had been trained on the safe use of PPE and were observed to be wearing PPE appropriately.” from the report
Visitor and distancing arrangements
Visitors received safety information at the entrance. Furniture had been rearranged to support social distancing.
“Visitors were given information at the front door on what actions they were required to take to keep people safe.” from the report
Contact with families
The home supported people to stay in contact with family members using electronic methods.
“People were supported to keep in touch with their family members using electronic means.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you keeping the infection prevention and control policy up to date?
- 02How often are staff trained and checked on using PPE and washing their hands safely?
- 03How are residents and staff currently tested for infections?
- 04How do you manage new admissions and possible infection outbreaks?
- 05What arrangements are currently available for residents to keep in touch with their families?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 February 2021 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 Lindisfarne Birtley
5 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- June 2021Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- February 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 February 2011.
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.”
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.