CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Northfield House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable medicines support and effective infection prevention. Personalised risk assessments supported independence while managing risks.
- Effective?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found positive leadership, staff who understood people's needs and systems for gathering feedback, checking quality and planning improvements.
What inspectors found, February 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, person-centred care and strong leadership, but this was a focused inspection.
The inspection visit was unannounced and took place on 17 January 2023. Inspectors met everyone living at the home, spoke with five people, four staff and five relatives, and received written feedback from staff and a healthcare professional.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough suitably checked staff, safe medicines support, suitable infection controls and personalised risk assessments that helped people try new things safely. People were supported to make choices, stay active and take part in their local community.
The registered manager and provider had systems to check quality, learn from incidents and plan improvements. The overall rating stayed Good, the same as at the previous inspection published on 12 January 2018.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe, and relatives had no safety concerns about their loved ones.
“People told us they felt safe and they could talk with staff if they were worried about anything.” from the report
Independence and choice
Risk assessments were personalised and helped people try new activities and build independence without unnecessary restrictions.
“People had very personalised risk assessments which promoted independence and participation with minimum risk to themselves and others.” from the report
Active lives
People were supported to pursue interests, take on new challenges and use local services and community activities.
“People were active members of their local community in accordance with their wishes and interests.” from the report
Strong leadership
The manager was visible, knew people well and used audits, feedback and checks to plan improvements.
“The provider had effective systems to monitor standards and plan improvements.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and support my relative to take positive risks and try new things safely?
- 02How will you support my relative to manage or self-administer medicines, if they want to?
- 03What activities, work placements or community opportunities could you offer that match my relative's interests?
- 04How do people and relatives contribute to care reviews, house meetings and quality checks?
- 05What checks do you carry out after accidents, incidents or medicine errors, and how are changes shared with staff?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 February 2023 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 2018
Rated Good overall, with Outstanding responsiveness; inspectors found safe, kind care and strong support for independence.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 29 September 2017. The inspector spoke with people living at the home, care staff and relatives, and checked care records, medicines, recruitment, training, health and safety, and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led were all rated Good. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines practices, good health support, respectful care and strong management.
Responsive care was rated Outstanding. People had flexible routines, personalised care plans and many chances to build independence, take part in activities, keep relationships and influence the home. The overall rating remained Good, while the Responsive rating improved to Outstanding.
Flexible, personal care
People's routines were shaped around their preferences rather than fixed schedules. Staff responded to individual requests and supported people to choose when to eat and what to do.
“Care plans were person centred and reflected what was important to each person.” from the report
Building independence
People were supported to gain skills and reach goals, including travelling independently, managing medicines and attending education or activities.
“They explained they had achieved a "lifetime goal" and they now accessed the community independently.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw warm and respectful interactions. People and relatives described staff as caring, helpful and supportive.
“The atmosphere in the home was very happy and relaxed and there was lots of laughter with people engaging in and enjoying friendly banter with the staff.” from the report
Activities and community life
People had busy lives with college, radio, holidays, social events, swimming, shopping and other activities that reflected their interests.
“People led a busy life and enjoyed a range of activities, social events and holidays.” from the report
Strong management
The manager was visible, knew people well and promoted involvement and independence. The home used audits and feedback to monitor quality.
“There were quality assurance systems which monitored and improved the quality of the service provided.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you support my relative to build independence while managing risks safely?
- 02How would you communicate with my relative if they have complex communication needs?
- 03How are people involved in choosing activities, routines and the staff who support them?
- 04How do you check that medicines are administered safely, including any medicines people manage themselves?
- 05How do you use care reviews, audits and feedback from families to make improvements?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five rated areas; the previous inspection in July 2015 found no regulatory breaches. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 January 2018 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 Northfield House
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- January 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 July 2014.
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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Fees, photos and reviews from families
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76 live-in carers within about two hours of Somerset
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 £1,020 to £1,370 a week. 62 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She looked after my mum, who can be incredibly challenging, so well and so gently, and we always felt confident that my mum was getting the best care available.”
“She was not phased by anything, she was adaptable, kind & gave us complete confidence to go away & not worry about a thing!”
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.