CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Whitehouse
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found appropriate risk assessments, safe medicines systems, suitable staffing and clean premises.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's care achieved good outcomes and supported their quality of life. Staff had relevant training, assessed people's needs and supported nutrition, healthcare and consent.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff promoted independence and gave people choice and control over their care and daily routines.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised to people's needs, preferences, interests and communication requirements. Activities, religious support, complaints procedures and end of life planning were available.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The service was consistently managed and well-led. Quality checks, staff communication and feedback systems were in place, and inspectors found improvements since the last inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2019
The Whitehouse was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements made since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 27 February 2019. Two inspectors and an expert by experience spoke with people and staff, observed care and reviewed care plans, staff files, training and other records.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. People said they felt safe, were treated kindly and had enough staff supporting them. Inspectors also found good medicines practice, suitable training and clean surroundings.
People had choices about their daily routines, food, activities and care. Staff knew people's preferences and supported contact with families, healthcare services and the wider community.
The previous inspection also rated the service Good. Inspectors said improvements had been made to policies and procedures and to action taken after medicines audits.
Kind and respectful care
People said staff treated them with kindness and respect. Inspectors observed positive relationships and support for people's dignity and independence.
“People were happy with the care they received, felt relaxed with staff and told us they were treated with kindness.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Medicines records were accurate, medicines were stored safely and staff stayed with people while they took them. People and inspectors found staffing levels sufficient.
“We observed a member of staff giving medicines sensitively and appropriately.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, interests, communication requirements and religious beliefs. Staff were said to know people well.
“Detailed individual person-centred care plans had been developed, enabling staff to support people in a personalised way that was specific to their needs and preferences, including any individual religious beliefs.” from the report
Activities and choice
People could choose how to spend their time and had access to activities, outings and visits from entertainers. Their religious and cultural requirements were recorded.
“We saw a varied range of activities on offer which included, music, arts and crafts, exercise and visits from external entertainers.” from the report
Good management and improvement
The provider used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor quality. Inspectors found that earlier concerns about policies and medicines audit follow-up had been addressed.
“At the last inspection, we identified areas of improvement required in relation to policies and procedures and actions being taken following medicines audits. We saw that improvements had been made.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you check staffing levels each day when a person's needs change or staff are absent?
- 02How are medicines audits carried out, and how quickly are any issues corrected?
- 03How will you involve my relative and our family in creating and reviewing their personalised care plan?
- 04Which activities, outings and religious or cultural support would be available for my relative?
- 05How would you support my relative's wishes about end of life care and keep those wishes up to date?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall quality and safety of the service; the previous inspection was in August 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 March 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 Whitehouse
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 November 2012.
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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46 live-in carers within about an hour of Brighton and Hove
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 £1,020 to £1,280 a week. 37 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Lottie showed incredible patience and empathy, adapting her routine to fit in with Mum's moods. Most importantly, Lottie's cheerful manner helped Mum to get some enjoyment out of life.”
“He was infinitely patient with them and got on very well with us to the extent that we now regard him as a personal friend.”
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.