CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at St Joseph's - Newcastle
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control arrangements were safe. They also recorded that risk assessments and policies were in place and that the provider had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- 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, May 2022
Targeted infection-control inspection; the home was inspected but not rated, and inspectors found good infection-control practice.
Inspectors visited on 14 April 2022. The visit was announced 24 hours beforehand and focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also asked about staffing pressures.
Inspectors found the home was clean and that enhanced cleaning took place. They were assured that PPE, testing, social distancing, admissions and outbreak arrangements were being managed safely.
The home supported visits through a garden visiting pod, window visits and video calls. This was a targeted inspection, so the home was not given an overall quality rating.
Safe visiting
The home provided several ways for relatives to visit or stay in contact safely, including a garden visiting pod and video calls.
“The provider was facilitating visits for people who used the service safely.” from the report
Cleaning
The home was clean, with extra cleaning of frequently touched areas such as handrails and door handles.
“The service was clean. Enhanced cleaning was being carried out including frequent touch points such as handrails and door handles.” from the report
Infection-control measures
Inspectors were assured that PPE, testing, social distancing and outbreak management arrangements were being used.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing staffing pressures, and have they affected people's care?
- 02Are the garden visiting pod, window visits and video calls still available?
- 03How often are frequently touched areas such as handrails and door handles cleaned now?
- 04How are PPE use, staff and resident testing, and outbreak management handled today?
- 05When were the infection prevention and control policies and risk assessments last reviewed?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about staffing pressures; it did not provide an overall rating or assess all five areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 May 2022 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, October 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and responsive care, with some medicines records and staff reviews needing improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection over three days. The inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They observed care, checked care records, medicines records and staff files, and reviewed health and safety information.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, person-centred care plans, suitable healthcare support and a clean, well-maintained environment.
People and relatives described staff as kind, respectful and responsive. There were many activities, flexible visiting and support for people's independence. The report says the rating remained Good and there was no evidence of serious risks or concerns.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Recruitment checks had also been completed for the staff records examined.
“Staffing levels were appropriate to meet people's needs.” from the report
Respectful care
People said staff were kind and respectful. Inspectors saw that staff protected privacy and encouraged people to remain as independent as possible.
“Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people's independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's needs, preferences and personal histories. They were reviewed and updated when people's needs changed.
“Care plans were person centred and gave staff information about people's needs and care preferences whilst being mindful of identified risks to their safety.” from the report
Activities and community
People could take part in varied activities based on their interests. The wider community was also encouraged to be involved.
“Activities were plentiful and arranged around the likes and interests of people who used the service.” from the report
Medicine instructions
needs fixingInstructions for some 'as required' medicines were not detailed enough. The provider corrected the paperwork during the inspection and reviewed its procedures.
“Information about 'as required' medicines were not always detailed, however, the provider updated their paperwork immediately and reviewed their procedures.” from the report
Staff reviews behind
minorStaff supervision and yearly appraisals were not fully up to date. The manager and administrator were also reviewing how staff records were stored.
“Staff received support through supervision and yearly appraisal although this was a little behind.” from the report
- 01How are instructions for 'as required' medicines checked now, and how do you make sure staff follow them?
- 02Are all staff supervision meetings and yearly appraisals now up to date?
- 03What dementia-friendly signage has been added since this inspection?
- 04How are care plans reviewed when a person's needs or preferences change?
- 05What activities are currently available, and how are they matched to each person's interests?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service across three dates, covering all five CQC questions; the report used a shorter format because the overall Good rating had not changed. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 October 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 Joseph's - Newcastle
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 November 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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36 live-in carers within about an hour of Newcastle upon Tyne
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 £950 to £1,160 a week. 30 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.”
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.