CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Village Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- The inspection focused on infection prevention and control and staffing pressures. Inspectors were assured that infection risks, protective equipment, admissions, visitors and outbreaks were being managed.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, clean surroundings and suitable protective equipment.
This was a targeted inspection on 28 September 2022. It looked mainly at infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 response, and asked about staffing pressures.
The inspectors found systems to help prevent infections spreading. The home was clean, extra cleaning was taking place, and staff had suitable protective equipment and training.
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives through visits and technology. The inspectors were assured that infection risks were assessed and managed, but they did not give an overall quality rating.
Clean environment
The home was clean, with extra cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
“The environment was clean. Additional cleaning was taking place, including of frequently touched surfaces.” from the report
Protective equipment
Staff had suitable protective equipment, training in using it, and regular checks were made to keep supplies available.
“Staff wore appropriate PPE to safeguard people and themselves, and there were sufficient supplies available.” from the report
Contact with relatives
People and their relatives were supported to keep in touch through technology and visits.
“People and their relatives were supported to keep in contact using a range of technology as well as visits to the home.” from the report
Infection planning
Inspectors were assured that infection risks were assessed and managed, including the prevention and management of outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing staffing pressures, and what impact do they have on people's care?
- 02How do you make sure there is enough PPE available and that staff are trained to use it safely?
- 03How do you identify and manage infection risks and possible outbreaks?
- 04How are visits from relatives arranged now?
- 05How often is the infection prevention and control policy reviewed?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures; it did not provide ratings for the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 November 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, May 2019
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care after improvements since the previous Requires Improvement inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 03 April 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, family members, staff and managers. They also reviewed care records, staff files and information held by CQC.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable training, safe medicine arrangements, personalised care and respectful support. People said they felt safe and were happy with the care, food and activities.
At the previous inspection, published in April 2018, the home was Requires Improvement because of problems with some communal toilets and bathrooms, and weaknesses in the provider's audits. Inspectors found these issues had been addressed. The Good rating means the service met legal requirements and provided a consistently good standard of care at this inspection.
Enough staff
People and families, together with inspectors' observations, indicated that staffing levels met people's needs.
“People and family members told us, and our observations confirmed, there were enough staff on duty to meet the needs of people.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and families said staff were kind, considerate and respectful. Staff supported people to remain as independent as possible.
“People and family members told us staff were kind and considerate.” from the report
Personalised support and activities
Care records included people's preferences, life history, goals and communication needs. Inspectors also saw a range of activities taking place.
“People and family members were enthusiastic about the range of activities and events available at the home.” from the report
Improved management checks
The provider had strengthened its audits and was acting on problems that were identified. Records were up to date.
“At this inspection, we found the provider and management team carried out audits to monitor the quality of the service and acted to address shortfalls where they were identified.” from the report
Previous safety and audit weaknesses
minorThe previous inspection found unsafe communal bathroom and toilet areas, and audits had failed to identify or address premises problems. These issues had been corrected by this inspection, but families may still wish to ask how the improvements are checked.
“At the previous inspection, the provider's audits had not identified or addressed the issues we found with the safety of the premises.” from the report
- 01How are the previous improvements to the communal bathrooms and toilets checked and maintained?
- 02How do you make sure there are enough staff on duty when people's needs change?
- 03How are care plans reviewed with residents and families, and how are personal goals followed up?
- 04What activities are available for someone with my relative's interests, abilities or communication needs?
- 05How are medicine records audited, and what happens if an error or concern is found?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, scheduled because the previous inspection rated the home Requires Improvement. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 May 2019 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 Village Care Home
4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- May 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Inadequate
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 January 2011.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
46 live-in carers within about an hour of Sunderland
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 £1,210 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.”
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.