CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control. They were assured about visiting arrangements, PPE, testing, cleaning, social distancing and managing outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 16 March 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control arrangements in the home.
Inspectors were assured that visitors, residents and staff were protected through screening, testing, PPE, cleaning and social distancing. The home also had a separate area for people who needed to isolate.
The home was clean and well maintained. It had infection-control policies, regular audits and checks on staff practice.
The service was inspected but not rated. This was not a full assessment of all five areas of care.
Visitor infection controls
The home used a visiting pod, cleaned it after each visit and screened professional visitors before entry.
“Measures were in place to prevent visitors from catching and spreading infection.” from the report
PPE and staff practice
PPE stations were fully stocked, staff had infection-control training and the manager carried out checks on staff practice.
“All staff were observed to be wearing appropriate PPE and were bare below the elbow to assist with good hand hygiene.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean and tidy, with a detailed cleaning schedule that included frequently touched areas.
“The home was clean and tidy throughout, and had been well maintained during the pandemic.” from the report
Support for contact with relatives
The home encouraged telephone and video contact and provided a large-screen computer to help people keep in touch.
“This provided easily accessible and good quality video contact for people and their relatives.” from the report
Isolation arrangements
A separate wing was available for people needing isolation, with separate access and staff allocated only to that area when in use.
“The provider had created a separate wing to accommodate anyone who was being isolated during the pandemic.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection-control arrangements are currently used for visitors, including cleaning of the visiting area?
- 02How are staff trained and checked on the safe use of PPE?
- 03What arrangements are in place if a resident needs to isolate?
- 04How does the home currently support telephone and video contact with relatives?
- 05How often are infection-control audits carried out, and what happens when they identify a problem?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control under the Safe question; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 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, December 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with a medicines cupboard lock fixed during the visit.
This was a comprehensive inspection on 31 October and 2 November 2018. The first day was unannounced. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicines, staffing and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, detailed care plans, suitable food and support from health professionals. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.
The home had continued to meet the required standards and its Good rating stayed the same as at the previous inspection in March 2016. A cupboard used for some overstocked medicines did not have a working lock, but this was fixed on the day. Some plans for staff to share hobbies and skills with people were still being developed.
Prompt staffing
People and relatives said there were enough staff. Inspectors saw staff respond quickly and without appearing rushed.
“On the days of our visit staff appeared unhurried and any calls for assistance were answered swiftly.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke highly of staff patience and kindness. Inspectors observed compassionate care and support for dignity and independence.
“We observed staff to be very caring and to deliver care compassionately.” from the report
Food and dietary support
Meals were varied and nutritious. The home adapted food for different needs, including diabetes, texture changes and risk of malnutrition.
“People were still supported to have nutritious meals that were adapted for special diets such as diabetic, textured and for those people at risk of malnutrition.” from the report
Detailed care planning
Care plans covered people’s needs, preferences and choices. They were reviewed regularly and updated when needed.
“Care plans were detailed and reflected people's needs and preferences.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home had regular checks on medicines, health and safety and infection control. External reviews were also used to identify improvements.
“There was a robust programme of audits in place with regular checks being made on areas such as medicines, health and safety and infection control.” from the report
Medicines cupboard lock
minorA cupboard containing some overstocked medicines did not have a working lock. The report says the lock was fixed on the same day, but families should check that medicines remain securely stored.
“Inside the upstairs lockable medicines room there was a cupboard where some overstocked medicines were being stored. This cupboard did not have working lock.” from the report
Activities development
minorThe home was exploring how staff could share their hobbies and skills with people. This had started in some areas but was not yet fully developed.
“Although this was still in development the directors were very enthusiastic about the importance of maintaining and developing people's skills and hoped to see this in practice soon.” from the report
- 01How do you check that all medicines, including overstocked medicines, are kept securely now?
- 02What activities are available for someone with my relative’s interests, abilities and needs?
- 03How have staff hobbies and skills been used with people since the inspection?
- 04How often will my relative’s care plan be reviewed, and how will family members be involved?
- 05How would you support my relative’s wishes and comfort if they needed end-of-life care?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five rating areas, with the first day unannounced. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 December 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 St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home →
- December 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at St Aidan Lodge Residential Care Home →
- May 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 December 2010.
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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47 live-in carers within about an hour of County Durham
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 £960 to £1,210 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.”
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