CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Old Vicarage
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, December 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but some environmental, medicines and record-keeping issues needed attention.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 September 2022. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, relatives, staff and a health professional. They also reviewed records, risks, medicines, staffing, infection control and how the home was managed.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable training, positive relationships and care that was tailored to people's preferences. People and relatives generally spoke warmly about the home.
There were some shortcomings. Not all environmental risks had been fully assessed, topical medicines were not managed in line with best practice, fire-safety care plans were sometimes too generic, and records did not fully show how the duty of candour was being followed. The manager said immediate action had been taken on some of these issues.
Kind and familiar staff
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors found that staff knew people well and supported their preferences.
“People and relatives spoke positively about the staff and the care provided.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Rotas were adjusted when people's routines changed with the seasons.
“There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs.” from the report
Personalised activities
The home helped people achieve personal wishes, including outings and activities linked to their past interests.
“People had been supported to go ice skating, swimming and to the seaside.” from the report
Support for independence
Staff respected people's choices and helped them remain independent in practical ways, including adapting food presentation and supporting household tasks.
“Housekeeping skills were encouraged to maintain people's independence.” from the report
Homely setting
People and relatives valued the small, welcoming environment. A new extension had been built and further changes were planned.
“People and relatives spoke positively about the "homely" environment.” from the report
Environmental risks
needs fixingNot all risks linked to the environment had been fully assessed. Inspectors recommended keeping these assessments under review, and the manager said action had been taken.
“However, not all risks relating to the environment had been fully assessed.” from the report
Topical medicines
needs fixingThe way topical medicines were managed did not follow best practice guidance. The manager took immediate action after the inspection.
“The management of topical medicines did not follow best practice guidelines.” from the report
Fire-safety care plans
needs fixingSome care plans about fire safety were generic and did not always follow best practice guidance. The manager said this would be addressed.
“Some care plans relating to fire safety were generic and did not always follow best practice guidance.” from the report
Duty of candour records
needs fixingRecords were not complete enough to show how the provider had met its responsibility to be open and honest when something went wrong. Inspectors made a recommendation, and the manager later said this had been addressed.
“Records were not fully available to demonstrate how the provider was meeting their responsibilities under the duty of candour.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to the assessment and monitoring of environmental risks since the inspection?
- 02How are topical medicines now recorded, applied and checked?
- 03Have the generic fire-safety care plans been rewritten for each person's needs?
- 04How do you now record and review duty of candour actions when something goes wrong?
- 05How do you use feedback about meals and informal complaints to make improvements?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control; it was the first inspection under the new provider. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 December 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
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2022Goodcurrent ratingdown from OutstandingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2018Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 September 2021.
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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23 live-in carers within about an hour of Northumberland
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 £1,190 a week. 20 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.