CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Mount Vale
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing and managing infection risks. They found effective arrangements for PPE, testing, cleaning, social distancing, admissions and visitors.
- 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
Mount Vale was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection prevention and control arrangements.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 18 January 2021. It followed information of concern about infection prevention and control.
Inspectors found that staff and essential visitors wore suitable PPE, completed checks and provided evidence of a negative test before entering. The home had enough PPE, separate areas for changing it, extra cleaning and social distancing in communal areas.
The home supported people's social and emotional wellbeing, including helping them make video calls. Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed, but the service was not given an overall quality rating.
Visitor safety checks
Visitors and staff had to complete several checks before entering the home, including PPE, tracing information, testing evidence and temperature checks.
“All staff and essential visitors had to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), complete NHS Track and Trace information, provide evidence of a negative test and have their temperature checked prior to entering the home.” from the report
PPE arrangements
The home had ample PPE and provided separate places for staff to put it on, remove it and dispose of it safely.
“The home had ample supplies of appropriate PPE which was stored hygienically and kept safe.” from the report
Cleaning and distancing
Extra cleaning was recorded, and communal areas were arranged so people could use them while following social distancing practices.
“Additional cleaning of all areas and frequent touch surfaces was in place and being carried out and recorded by housekeeping staff.” from the report
Keeping people connected
Staff supported people's social and emotional wellbeing, including helping them use tablets for video calls.
“Staff supported people to use other technology such as using tablets to make video calls.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently checked before entering the home?
- 02How do you make sure staff continue to use PPE safely and correctly?
- 03How often are communal areas and frequently touched surfaces cleaned, and how is this recorded?
- 04How do you support residents to keep in touch with family when normal visits are restricted?
- 05How do you check that infection prevention training and PPE skills remain up to date?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe key question; the service was inspected but not rated overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 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, April 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with improvements needed in some behaviour and end-of-life records.
This was an unannounced inspection on 12 and 18 February 2020. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They observed care and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe, well supported and listened to. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, good food, clean surroundings and a range of activities.
There had been a problem on the first inspection day with staff not following behaviour support plans for people living with dementia. The management team acted straight away. By the second day, new plans and specialist support were being put in place. The safe rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection in 2017 to Good.
Dementia support improved
The home introduced more detailed behaviour support plans and brought in specialist dementia nursing support. These plans gave staff practical guidance to reduce anxiety and keep people safe.
“The new plans were detailed and gave clear instructions to staff on how to manage behaviours including strategies to work through to diffuse incidents and reduce people's anxiety.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described caring relationships. Staff supported privacy, dignity, independence and personal choices.
“Staff spoke with people in a polite and respectful way and showed an interest in what people wanted to say to them.” from the report
Good choice and involvement
People were involved in care decisions and could receive help from relatives or advocates. Staff sought consent and supported people to have choice and control.
“People were routinely involved in decisions about their care; staff sought people's consent and supported them to have choice and control over all aspects of their support.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People had access to varied activities, social events and church services. Families could visit as they wished at the time of the inspection.
“People enjoyed the social activities arranged for them. They did arts and crafts, quizzes, board games and entertainers came into the service offering exercise sessions and musical afternoons.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and safe systems for handling medicines. People said care was provided on time.
“Medicines were received, stored, administered and disposed of safely.” from the report
Behaviour plans were not followed at first
needs fixingOn the first day, staff were not following the existing behaviour information for some people with specialist needs. The management team acted immediately, and improvements were seen by the second day.
“On the first day of inspection we found action had not been taken to improve the positive behaviour management plans for people with specialist needs.” from the report
End-of-life records
needs fixingInspectors said end-of-life care was not always recorded fully in care files, although feedback suggested people had received good care.
“End of life care was not always well documented in the care files” from the report
Some care plans were basic
minorNew oral health and communication plans had been introduced, but inspectors said they needed further development.
“The registered manager had introduced care plans for oral health care and communication into the care files. These were basic” from the report
Communication between teams
minorStaff reported some disconnection between care staff, nurses and managers. Inspectors said this had not affected the quality of care at the time.
“staff said there was some disconnection between care staff, nurses and the management team.” from the report
- 01How are the new positive behaviour plans being used, and how do you check that all staff follow them?
- 02What has been done to improve the recording of end-of-life care?
- 03How have the oral health and communication care plans been developed since this inspection?
- 04How do care staff, nurses and managers now share information with each other?
- 05How do you check that lessons from incidents and complaints lead to lasting improvements?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the report says the home provided accommodation, personal care and nursing care. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 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 Mount Vale
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- April 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of North Yorkshire
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 £1,010 to £1,290 a week. 27 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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“She was always 'just present enough': attentive, available, kind and engaging, but without ever over-stepping any boundary”
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.