CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Old Vicarage Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, January 2023
The Old Vicarage Care Home was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found caring staff and enough staff, but medicines recording, leadership and checks needed improvement.
This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 22 November 2022. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, a relative, staff and outside professionals. They observed care and reviewed care, medicines, staffing and management records.
People generally felt safe and comfortable. There were enough staff, staff knew people well, recruitment checks were completed, and the home was clean and well maintained. Infection prevention arrangements were judged satisfactory.
The inspectors found problems with some medicines records, including instructions for medicines given when needed and records showing where creams should be applied. Risk assessments and care plans also needed more personalised detail.
Leadership and monitoring were rated Requires Improvement. Audits had not found all the problems, there had previously been a closed culture, and there was no registered manager at the time. The provider had started improvements, but inspectors said these needed more time and checking.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs safely. The home did not rely on agency staff, which supported continuity of care.
“There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs safely.” from the report
Kind, familiar care
Staff knew people well and interacted with them in a supportive and personal way. People appeared relaxed and comfortable.
“We observed staff interacting in a supportive and personable way with people throughout the inspection.” from the report
Clean and maintained home
The premises were clean, safe and well maintained. Utilities, lifting equipment and safety equipment had been checked.
“The premises were fit for purpose, clean, safe and well maintained.” from the report
Improved safeguarding openness
The provider had reviewed safeguarding and whistleblowing arrangements. Staff and people were more confident about raising concerns, and the provider worked with outside agencies when needed.
“Staff now felt more comfortable speaking up.” from the report
Medicines records
seriousSome instructions for medicines given when needed were not detailed enough. Records did not always say where prescribed creams should be applied, although the manager made immediate changes.
“Some areas of medicines management were not in line with best practice.” from the report
Management checks
needs fixingAudits had not found all the medicines and safety issues identified during the inspection. New auditing arrangements needed further work.
“Auditing and governance systems had not always been effective in identifying areas for improvement or areas of concern.” from the report
Recent closed culture
seriousThe service had previously become a closed culture, with some staff feeling unable to speak up. The provider had started to address this, but inspectors said the work needed ongoing review.
“This meant people had been at higher risk of poorer care or abuse due to a lack of openness in the culture.” from the report
No registered manager
needs fixingThere was no registered manager when inspectors visited. A new manager had been recruited and planned to register with the CQC.
“There was no registered manager in place at the time of inspection.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to medicines records for medicines given when needed and for prescribed creams?
- 02How are medicines audits now checking that instructions and records are complete and accurate?
- 03Has the new manager registered with the CQC, and who is responsible for the home until that happens?
- 04What evidence shows that staff can now speak up safely and that the previous closed culture has not returned?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous inspection and were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 January 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, February 2022
The Old Vicarage Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 safeguards but some gaps in infection-control records and social distancing.
This was a targeted inspection about infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The visits were announced and took place on 13 and 17 January 2022.
Inspectors found good practice in checking that professional visitors were vaccinated and in reducing reliance on agency staff. They were assured about visitors, admissions, PPE, testing, cleaning and hygiene.
Inspectors were only somewhat assured about social distancing, managing outbreaks and the infection-control policy. The home had extra safeguards, but some audits and updates were not documented or shared well enough.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report does not provide a full rating of the quality of care across all five areas.
Vaccination checks
The home had a system to check that professional visitors had been vaccinated.
“The registered manager had introduced a system for ensuring all professional visitors had been vaccinated.” from the report
Managing staff pressures
The provider took steps to reduce the effect of COVID-19-related staffing pressures and limit reliance on agency staff.
“Staff worked hard to ensure they did not rely on agency staff, reducing the impact on people who used the service.” from the report
Basic infection controls
Inspectors were assured about several practical controls, including PPE, testing, admissions, cleaning and hygiene.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Social distancing
needs fixingThe home could not always ensure that people kept a safe distance. It used extra measures such as visors, more cleaning and encouraging meals in rooms.
“The registered manager acknowledged it was not always possible to ensure people who used the service maintained a social distance.” from the report
Outbreak records
needs fixingThe home carried out audits and checks, but inspectors said the information was not documented and shared well enough.
“The registered manager communicated key updates to staff and undertook regular audits and checks, but these could be better documented and shared.” from the report
Policy updates
minorInspectors were only somewhat assured that the infection prevention and control policy was up to date.
“We were somewhat assured that the provider's infection prevention and control policy was up to date.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure people can keep a safe distance when this is needed?
- 02How are infection-control audits, checks and important updates recorded and shared with staff?
- 03When was the infection prevention and control policy last reviewed and updated?
- 04How would you manage visiting arrangements during an infection outbreak?
- 05How would staffing pressures affect care, and how much agency staff would be used?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic; it did not provide ratings for the other four key questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 February 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.
Every inspection of The Old Vicarage Care Home
4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.
- January 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- June 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2015Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 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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30 live-in carers within about an hour of North Tyneside
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 £1,130 a week. 26 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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