CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Northcourt Lodge Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about most infection-control arrangements. They were only somewhat assured about testing records and whether COVID-19 risks had been included in all relevant risk assessments.
- 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, March 2021
Northcourt Lodge Nursing Home was inspected but not rated; infection controls were mostly reassuring, but some testing and risk-assessment records were incomplete.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 2 March 2021. It looked at how the home was preventing and controlling COVID-19 infections.
Inspectors found clear visitor procedures, screening, personal protective equipment, cleaning checks and infection-control audits. They were assured that the home was managing visitors, admissions, distancing, PPE, hygiene and possible outbreaks.
The home was somewhat assured for COVID-19 testing because staff temperature checks and lateral flow tests were not formally recorded. Some health and safety risk assessments had also not been reviewed for the impact of COVID-19.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not give an overall quality rating or a standard Safe rating.
Family contact
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives by phone or video call. Outside visits were allowed with clear procedures.
“People had been supported to keep in touch with their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” from the report
Infection control
Visitors were screened and given guidance and PPE. Inspectors saw cleaning checks, infection-control audits and no concerns about cleanliness.
“At the time of the inspection, we had no concerns about the level of cleanliness in the home.” from the report
Staff support
Staff had regular COVID-19 testing and had received their first vaccinations in January 2021.
“Staff were regularly tested for COVID-19 and had received their first COVID-19 vaccinations in January 2021.” from the report
Compassionate support
Inspectors heard examples of people being supported in a person-centred way while pandemic procedures were introduced.
“We heard of examples of how people had been supported with real compassion and understanding.” from the report
Testing records
needs fixingStaff temperature checks and lateral flow tests were not formally recorded. This meant inspectors were only somewhat assured about access to testing.
“Staff temperature checks and lateral flow tests for COVID 19 were not being formally recorded.” from the report
Risk assessments
needs fixingSome health and safety risk assessments had not been reviewed to consider the impact of COVID-19. The provider was signposted to resources to improve its approach.
“Further risk assessments to manage Health and Safety within the home had not been reviewed to assess any COVID 19 impact.” from the report
- 01How are staff temperature checks and lateral flow test results recorded now?
- 02Have all health and safety risk assessments been reviewed for COVID-19 risks?
- 03What infection-control arrangements are currently used for visitors and family visits?
- 04How are people supported to keep in touch with their families when visits are restricted?
- 05What checks are carried out to make sure cleaning and infection-control procedures continue to work?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe question; the service was inspected but not rated and the other questions were not assessed in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 March 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, June 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a recommendation to improve ongoing staff training.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 29 May 2019. The inspectors spoke with people living at the home, staff, management, a relative and a community professional. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, staff recruitment and training records, complaints, incidents and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People told inspectors they felt safe, were treated kindly and had their dignity respected. Care was personalised, medicines were handled safely, and staff worked with health professionals.
Inspectors found some areas to improve. The provider was recommended to bring ongoing staff training in line with current best practice. Some radiator covers needed repair, one recruitment record had an unexplained gap, and staff were seen preparing medicines in advance in a way that was not considered good practice.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors that people were safe. Staff understood how to recognise and respond to possible abuse.
“People said they felt safe living at the service.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness and dignity. Staff involved them in decisions and supported their privacy and independence.
“People were treated with care and kindness.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's preferences, abilities and wishes. Staff knew how people liked things done and adjusted support when needs changed.
“People received support that was individualised to their personal needs.” from the report
Open management
Staff described managers as accessible and approachable. The home sought views from people, relatives and staff and used audits to monitor quality.
“The service was consistently managed and well-led.” from the report
Ongoing staff training
needs fixingAlthough mandatory training was up to date, the training programme did not include some topics recommended for social care staff. Inspectors made a formal recommendation for improvement.
“We recommend that the provider bring the staff training provision in line with the current best practice guidance on ongoing training for social care staff.” from the report
Damaged radiator covers
needs fixingSome bedroom radiator covers were damaged and had sharp edges. They still protected people from hot radiator surfaces, but the manager said they would be repaired or replaced.
“We saw there were some radiator covers in bedrooms that were damaged and in need of repair or replacement.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the ongoing staff training programme since the inspection?
- 02Have all damaged radiator covers been repaired or replaced, and how do you check for similar hazards?
- 03What is your current process for checking medicines against the label and medication record at the time of administration?
- 04How do you make sure all recruitment records, including employment history, are complete before staff start work?
- 05How are residents' communication needs recorded and shared with staff?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that looked at the premises and care provided and rated all five key questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 June 2019 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 Northcourt Lodge Nursing Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Northcourt Lodge Nursing Home →
- June 2019GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Northcourt Lodge Nursing Home →
- June 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 June 2018.
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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