CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Westwood Lodge Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control arrangements, but recent staff training had not been completed.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 12 January 2022. The inspectors checked infection prevention and control, and asked about staffing pressures linked to COVID-19.
They found the home was clean, used enhanced cleaning, supported safe visits and promoted social distancing. Staff worked on set floors to help reduce the spread of infection.
Inspectors were assured about most infection control arrangements, including personal protective equipment, testing, admissions and vaccination requirements. They were only somewhat assured that outbreaks could be prevented or managed because staff had not recently completed infection control training.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a rated judgement for the care provided.
Safe visits
The home was facilitating visits safely. People going out were encouraged to wear masks in public places.
“The provider was facilitating visits for people who used the service safely.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean and carried out extra cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
“The service was clean. Enhanced cleaning was being carried out including frequent touch points such as handrails and door handles.” from the report
Reducing infection spread
People were encouraged to keep apart in shared areas, and staff worked on set floors to reduce transmission.
“Staff worked on set floors of the service to help stop the transmission of infection between people.” from the report
Acting on specialist advice
An infection prevention specialist had recently visited, and the registered manager had acted on the advice given.
“An infection prevention specialist had recently visited the service, the registered manager had acted on their advice for improvements in infection control practises.” from the report
Recent staff training
needs fixingRecent infection control training had not been completed by staff. Inspectors signposted the provider to resources to improve its approach, although staff showed good infection control practices.
“Recent infection control training had not been undertaken by staff, however staff demonstrated good infection control practises.” from the report
- 01When did all staff last complete infection control training?
- 02How do you make sure new staff receive infection control training?
- 03What would you do if there was an infection outbreak in the home?
- 04How are visits managed if infection risks change?
- 05How do you manage staffing pressures linked to COVID-19?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not provide ratings for the other questions or an overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 February 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, December 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found infection controls in place, with some worn areas awaiting refurbishment.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 18 October 2021. It followed concerns about infection prevention and control. Inspectors looked at whether the home was meeting infection control requirements.
Inspectors found good infection control practice. They were assured that visitors were screened, personal protective equipment was used safely, testing was available, cleaning was enhanced and visiting arrangements followed current guidance.
The home was clean, but some areas were worn and needed updating. The manager said these areas were being dealt with through an ongoing refurbishment programme. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to prevent and manage infection, including screening visitors, using PPE and carrying out enhanced cleaning.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Safe visiting
Visitors were screened and asked to use appropriate protective equipment. Inspectors found that visits were being facilitated in line with current guidance.
“All visitors were screened before entry and asked to wear appropriate PPE.” from the report
Contact with others
People were supported to keep in touch with others, and some people were able to use the local community independently.
“People were supported to maintain contact with others, whilst some people accessed the local community independently.” from the report
Worn areas
minorAlthough the home was clean, some areas needed updating. The manager said this was being addressed through an ongoing refurbishment programme.
“Although the home was clean, some areas were worn and needed updating.” from the report
- 01Which worn areas have been refurbished since the inspection, and what work is still outstanding?
- 02How do you make sure staff consistently wear face masks when required?
- 03How are visitors currently screened and supported to use the correct PPE?
- 04How often are touchpoints and other areas cleaned, and how is this recorded?
- 05How are people and staff currently supported to access infection testing?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas of care were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 December 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.
Every inspection of Westwood Lodge Care Home
4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2020Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2018Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 December 2015.
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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36 live-in carers within about an hour of Newcastle upon Tyne
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Most charge £950 to £1,160 a week. 30 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.”
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