CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Wellburn House
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, PPE supplies and visiting arrangements.
This was a targeted inspection on 16 February 2022. It looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected care. The inspection was announced 16 hours in advance.
Inspectors found the home clean and tidy, with detailed cleaning schedules and good supplies of PPE. They were assured that infection risks, admissions, shielding, social distancing and outbreaks were being managed.
Relatives could become essential care givers and visit safely through screening and testing. The home was meeting the COVID-19 vaccination requirement that applied to care home workers and visiting professionals at the time.
The service was inspected but not rated. This report therefore does not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most of the five key questions.
Clean environment
The home was clean and tidy. Detailed cleaning schedules were in place and management monitored them.
“The home was clean and tidy. Domestic staff had detailed cleaning schedules to support this” from the report
PPE and infection control
Inspectors found good supplies of PPE and were assured that it was being used effectively and safely.
“The home had good supplies of PPE and other infection control measures to support staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” from the report
Family visiting
Relatives could become essential care givers and visit safely through screening and testing. Other technology helped people keep in touch with important people.
“Relatives were encouraged to become essential care givers and were able to visit their loved ones safely due to the screening programme in place” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What measures are currently in place to manage staffing pressures, and have these affected my relative's care?
- 02How can I become an essential care giver, and what screening or testing is currently required for visits?
- 03How are PPE use and cleaning schedules checked now?
- 04How would you manage an infection outbreak, and how would families be kept informed?
- 05How do you make sure new residents are admitted safely?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 March 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, October 2018
Wellburn House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support and improvements since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 30 August 2018. One inspector visited, spoke with people living there, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, staffing and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found kind and respectful care, suitable staff training, good care planning, safe medicine systems and a clean home.
The service had previously been rated Requires improvement in December 2017. Inspectors found that medicine management had improved, and that action had also been taken to check pressure mattresses.
Improved medicines management
Inspectors found that medicine systems had improved since the previous inspection. Records, storage checks and the timing of medicines were found to be accurate and safe.
“Medicines management had improved since our last inspection.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff knew people well and supported their choices and independence.
“Staff treated people in a respectful manner. During our inspection people's privacy or dignity was not compromised.” from the report
Personalised care planning
People, relatives or advocates were involved in writing care plans. Plans described what people could do for themselves and the support they needed.
“People's care plans were written with the involvement of people who used the service, their relatives or advocates and staff.” from the report
Activities and community links
The home offered activities inside the home and supported people to go out when they wished. Inspectors also found that community links were being developed.
“The service was developing good links with the local community.” from the report
Occasional staffing rota gaps
minorInspectors saw occasional gaps in the duty rota when staff were absent. The manager said trained kitchen and domestic staff gave the home more options for covering these absences.
“We looked at the duty rota and noted there were occasional gaps in it if staff were absent from work.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure there are enough care staff on each shift when someone is absent?
- 02How are people and their families involved in reviewing care plans?
- 03What activities are available for someone with my relative's interests and abilities?
- 04How do you check that medicines are given at the right time and that records remain accurate?
- 05How can relatives raise a complaint, and how will they be kept informed of the outcome?
This was an unannounced inspection of the whole service, including the care provided and the premises, and it considered all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 October 2018 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 Wellburn House
4 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2018Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- July 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 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.
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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.