CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Avenue Community Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks, including visitors, admissions, personal protective equipment, testing, cleaning and visits. The provider also said it 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, January 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control arrangements and no concerns recorded during this targeted visit.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 12 January 2022. The inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, and asked about staffing pressures linked to COVID-19.
They found the home was clean and tidy. Visitors were screened, staff used personal protective equipment correctly, and regular COVID-19 testing was taking place.
The home was assured to be following infection control measures, including safe admissions, visiting arrangements, social distancing, testing and vaccination requirements. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not provide a full quality rating.
Clean premises
The premises were clean and tidy, with regular cleaning taking place.
“The premises were clean and tidy, and regular cleaning was taking place.” from the report
Visitor infection checks
Visitors were screened to reduce the risk of infection spreading.
“Visitors were screened to reduce the risk of them spreading infection.” from the report
Personal protective equipment
The home had plentiful supplies of personal protective equipment, and staff used it correctly.
“Plentiful supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) were in place and staff used this correctly.” from the report
COVID-19 testing
Regular testing was taking place for people using the service and staff.
“Regular COVID-19 testing was taking place.” from the report
Vaccination requirements
The service was meeting the requirement for non-exempt staff and visiting professionals to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“The service was meeting the requirement to ensure non-exempt staff and visiting professionals were vaccinated against COVID-19.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What measures are currently in place to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures?
- 02How do you screen visitors and support visits when infection risks change?
- 03How often are people using the service and staff tested for COVID-19?
- 04How do you make sure staff use personal protective equipment correctly?
- 05How do you check that non-exempt staff and visiting professionals meet the vaccination requirement?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, with questions about COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 January 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, March 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with only minor record updates needed.
This was an unannounced inspection on 18 and 20 February 2020. Inspectors spoke with six people, three relatives, five staff and health and social care professionals. They observed support being given to 12 people and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home supported 13 adults with mental health conditions. Inspectors found that people felt safe and were supported by consistent, experienced staff who knew them well. Care plans were detailed and up to date, and people were involved in decisions about their care.
The home was clean and had a calm, friendly atmosphere. People were supported with medicines, healthcare, meals, activities and independence. The management team worked closely with health professionals and used checks and reviews to monitor quality.
All five CQC areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The overall rating remained Good, the same as at the previous inspection published on 29 July 2017.
Staff knew people well
The staff team was consistent and experienced. Inspectors found that staff understood people's needs and supported their choices and independence.
“People were cared for by staff who knew them very well.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People experienced a calm, friendly and homely environment. Staff respected privacy, dignity and personal choices.
“We saw people laughing and interacting with each other and staff.” from the report
Good health support
The home worked closely with health and social care professionals. Medicines were managed safely and people's physical and mental health needs were reviewed.
“The management team and staff worked extremely closely with health professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people's health and wellbeing.” from the report
People had choice and involvement
People helped review their care, chose how to spend their time and contributed to decisions about meals, activities and the running of the home.
“People were involved in reviewing their care plans and they were detailed and up to date.” from the report
Minor recruitment record updates
minorSome staff recruitment records needed minor updates. The manager was told and took immediate action.
“Some minor updates to records were required. We discussed these with the registered manager who took immediate action.” from the report
- 01How will you assess and support my relative's particular mental health and nursing needs before they move in?
- 02How are medicines reviewed, and how will my relative be supported if they wants to manage some medicines themselves?
- 03How will my relative be involved in writing and reviewing their care plan?
- 04What activities and support for going out into the local community would be available to my relative?
- 05How do you check staff recruitment records and make sure any missing updates are completed?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 March 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 The Avenue Community Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at The Avenue Community Nursing Home →
- March 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at The Avenue Community Nursing Home →
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Middlesbrough
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 £980 to £1,230 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
“I found Alison to be kind , caring helpful concencious... Alison has a heart of gold”
“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.