CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Meadowfield House Home for Older People
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control arrangements were in place, including safe use of protective equipment, testing, hygiene, admissions and outbreak planning.
- 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?
- Good
- 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, February 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured about infection control, but the home was not ready to become a designated care setting.
This was a targeted inspection about infection prevention and control. Inspectors visited the home on 13 January 2021 and found that its premises were clean and hygienic.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, supporting testing, managing infection risks and following shielding and social distancing rules. Staff had infection control and COVID-19 training.
The home was being considered as a designated care setting for people discharged from hospital with COVID-19. It was not ready for this role, so commissioners paused their plans while they finalised operating procedures. The service was inspected but not rated.
Clean premises
The premises were clean and hygienic, with checks for visitors arriving at the home.
“The premises were clean and hygienic and arrangements were in place to check visitors for symptoms on arrival.” from the report
Trained staff
Staff had infection control training and extra COVID-19 training to support their understanding of safe practice.
“Staff had received infection prevention and control training and were regularly supported to update their knowledge and skills in relation to best practice standards.” from the report
Contact with others
Technology such as video calls helped people keep in contact with visitors and health professionals when face-to-face visits were not possible.
“Staff used technology such as video calling to support people with contact and at times when they could not get visitors including for making contact with health professionals.” from the report
Protective equipment
The home had stocks of protective equipment, and staff knew what to use and when.
“There were stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff were knowledgeable about what standard of PPE was needed and when.” from the report
Not ready for proposed role
minorThe home was not ready to operate as a designated care setting when inspected. The commissioners paused the plans while they completed their operating procedures.
“At the time of the inspection the location was not ready to be set up as a designated care setting.” from the report
- 01Has the home since become a designated care setting, or are those plans still on hold?
- 02What are the home's current arrangements for testing people and staff for COVID-19?
- 03How does the home support visits and contact with relatives when face-to-face visits are restricted?
- 04What infection prevention and control training have staff completed recently?
- 05What contingency plans are in place if there is an infection outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control for a proposed designated care setting; the service was inspected but not rated, and the detailed section gives the visit date as 13 January 2020 while the report's inspection date says 13 January 2021. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 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.
What inspectors found, January 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspectors visited the home on 13 January 2021. The visit was announced and focused on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
They found staff had infection-control and COVID-19 training. The home had arrangements for PPE, testing, cleaning, social distancing, safe admissions and managing outbreaks.
People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends. The home had built a visiting pod and made special arrangements for people at the end of their lives.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a rated judgement for safe care.
Staff training
Staff received infection-control training and extra COVID-19 training. They were supported to keep their knowledge up to date.
“Staff had received infection prevention and control training and were regularly supported to update their knowledge and skills in relation to best practice standards.” from the report
Family contact
The home supported people to stay in touch with relatives during shielding or isolation. It also provided a visiting pod and made person-centred arrangements for end-of-life visits.
“A visiting pod had been built to facilitate safe face to face visiting.” from the report
PPE and cleanliness
Inspectors found that PPE processes, clinical waste arrangements and cleaning were robust. Staff had suitable areas for putting on and removing PPE.
“Processes in place for putting on and taking off personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and aprons and management of clinical waste were robust.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The provider had contingency plans and individual risk assessments for people and staff affected by COVID-19. Staff worked in designated parts of the home to help limit spread.
“The provider had risk assessed and implemented contingency plans to ensure an outbreak of COVID-19 was effectively managed.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How have your infection-control arrangements changed since the inspection on 13 January 2021?
- 02How do you currently manage visits, including visits for people at the end of their lives?
- 03How do you test new residents and staff, and what isolation arrangements are used after admission?
- 04How do you make sure staff use the correct PPE and work in the appropriate areas during an outbreak?
- 05When was your infection prevention and control policy last reviewed?
This was a planned infection prevention and control inspection during the coronavirus pandemic, and it did not provide a full overall quality rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 January 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 Meadowfield House Home for Older People
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Meadowfield House Home for Older People →
- January 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Meadowfield House Home for Older People →
- September 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2014GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Outstanding
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
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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85 live-in carers within about an hour of Lancashire
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 78 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
“Thanks to Tracy, Dad was always immaculately dressed and clean, his meals were all home cooked and nutritionally well balanced and his home was always kept really clean and tidy.”
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.