CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Wellburn House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control arrangements during a targeted coronavirus review.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 15 February 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control because of the response to coronavirus outbreaks in care homes.
Inspectors found good arrangements for visitors, testing, protective equipment, cleaning, social distancing and managing infection risks. They were assured that the home was following infection prevention and control measures.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a standard rating for the other areas of care.
Visitor safety
Visitors completed health checks, temperature checks and lateral flow testing before visits. The home also provided a separate visiting area and alternatives such as video calls.
“Temperature checks were completed on arrival and PPE (personal protective equipment) was available for all visitors.” from the report
Protective equipment
Staff were observed using PPE correctly. There was a plentiful supply, with stations around the home and suitable arrangements for disposing of used equipment.
“We observed staff wearing PPE correctly throughout the home.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean and tidy, with extra cleaning of frequently touched surfaces and arrangements for contaminated laundry.
“The home was very clean and tidy.” from the report
Infection control systems
The home had an up-to-date infection prevention and control policy and carried out regular checks. Staff had also received specialist infection control support and training.
“There was a detailed infection prevention and control policy in place and regular checks were completed.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now, including testing and PPE?
- 02How are visits managed now, and what alternatives are offered if visiting is restricted?
- 03How often are high-touch areas cleaned and how are infection control checks recorded?
- 04What is the home's current overall CQC rating, since this inspection was not rated?
- 05How are people living with dementia supported when staff need to wear PPE?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; it was not a full inspection of the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 March 2021 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 2019
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, but leadership was rated Requires Improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 January 2019. Inspectors reviewed records, observed care and spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional.
The home had improved since the previous inspection in June 2018. Inspectors found safer medicines management, better staffing, stronger training, more personalised care plans and improved activities and complaints handling.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive were all rated Good. Well-led was rated Requires Improvement because leadership and quality monitoring were still becoming consistent, although the home was no longer in breach of regulations found at the previous inspection.
Improvement since the last inspection
Inspectors found clear progress since June 2018. People and relatives said the changes had improved the service.
“Improvements had been made since the last inspection in June 2018. People and relatives told us that the changes had improved the service.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were observed treating people with kindness and respect. They supported people's dignity, choices and independence.
“We observed staff treated people with kindness and respect at all times.” from the report
Personalised care and activities
Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People could choose from group and one-to-one activities.
“Care plans were comprehensive and personalised and had been developed to cover a range of areas and care needs including; mobility, nutrition and leisure.” from the report
Safer medicines management
The main medicines systems had improved and records checked showed medicines were being given as prescribed.
“Stock reconciliation we looked at were all correct showing medicines were being administered as prescribed.” from the report
Leadership still developing
needs fixingThe home had improved, but inspectors were not yet satisfied that management and leadership were fully consistent.
“Service management and leadership was becoming consistent. Leaders and the culture they created were starting to support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.” from the report
Medicine patch checks
needs fixingStaff had not always followed the manufacturer's instructions about rotating medicine patches. The manager corrected the issue immediately during the inspection.
“Records for patches were in place but staff had not always followed manufacturers guidelines around patch rotation.” from the report
Fluid records
needs fixingDaily notes did not always record people's fluid targets. The manager was seeking more accurate figures from the GP.
“Daily notes did not always record people's fluid targets.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that medicine patches are rotated according to the manufacturer's instructions?
- 02How are each person's fluid targets agreed, recorded and reviewed?
- 03What checks show that the improvements made since June 2018 have continued?
- 04How often are quality audits reviewed, and how are actions followed through?
- 05How do you make sure care plans and activities continue to reflect each person's preferences?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, following the previous Requires Improvement rating and a previous Inadequate rating for Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 February 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 Wellburn House
7 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- February 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2017Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2016Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2016Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvement
- September 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 November 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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45 live-in carers within about an hour of Stockton-on-Tees
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Most charge £980 to £1,190 a week. 40 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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