CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Willowdene Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed, including visitor checks, PPE, testing, safe admissions, hygiene and outbreak prevention.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not rated or assessed in the report.
What inspectors found, April 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control practices during the COVID-19-focused visit.
Inspectors visited the home on 25 February 2021. The visit was announced and focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They found the home was clean and tidy. Visitors were checked before entering, staff had the personal protective equipment they needed, and infection control training had been completed.
Inspectors were assured about testing, safe admissions, social distancing, shielding, hygiene, outbreak management and the infection control policy. The home was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Infection control
The provider had infection prevention arrangements in place, including visitor checks and regular checks of infection control.
“The provider followed good infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. Checks were completed before visitors were able to safely access the home.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home clean and tidy, with domestic staff visible carrying out their duties.
“The home was clean and tidy throughout, domestic staff were visible completing their duties around the home.” from the report
PPE and training
Staff had access to the PPE they needed and had completed infection control and PPE training.
“Staff had access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) they needed. They had completed infection control training and specific training about how to use PPE correctly.” from the report
Pandemic planning
The provider had current procedures for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and carried out regular infection control checks.
“The provider had up to date policies and procedures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Regular infection control checks took place.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors checked before they enter the home now?
- 02How do you make sure staff have the PPE they need and use it correctly?
- 03How are people using the service and staff tested for infections?
- 04What arrangements are in place to prevent or manage an infection outbreak?
- 05When was the infection prevention and control policy last reviewed?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic; it did not rate the other four questions or the service overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 April 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, April 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, with some improvements needed to records, dining and the environment.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 11 February 2020. Inspectors spoke with 11 people, nine relatives, 14 staff and three visiting professionals. They also observed care and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People and relatives said they felt safe and were positive about the care. Inspectors found caring staff, safe medicines systems, suitable staff training, good healthcare support and activities that helped people stay involved.
The report also identified improvements needed. These included keeping fuller recruitment information at the home, some hygiene and building issues, more complete food records, better support for people with dementia to choose meals, and fuller end-of-life care plans. The overall rating stayed Good, as did all five individual ratings.
Safe medicines systems
Inspectors found that medicines were ordered, stored, given and disposed of safely. Staff had to complete training before administering medicines.
“Systems were in place for the ordering, storage, administration and disposal of medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff knew people well and responded promptly when people became distressed. Inspectors saw respectful interactions and support that protected privacy and dignity.
“Staff interactions with people were attentive, kindly, encouraging and appropriate.” from the report
Activities and community links
People could take part in activities, entertainment, trips and community events. The home also had links with children through an intergenerational project.
“People had access to a range of activities along with entertainment and external trips.” from the report
Active quality checks
The management team used audits and staff feedback to monitor the service and identify improvements. Staff said managers were approachable and listened to them.
“Regular audits were completed to monitor service provision and to ensure the safety of people who used the service.” from the report
Recruitment records
needs fixingSome staff files held at the home did not contain interview notes or the required number of references. Inspectors made a recommendation to improve the records kept on site.
“Not all files held a copy of people's interview notes or the required number of references.” from the report
Hygiene and building maintenance
needs fixingSome areas of the premises needed improvement, and some parts of the building showed wear and tear. The provider sent an action plan with timescales after the inspection.
“There was generally a good standard of hygiene, however some areas of the premises required improvement.” from the report
Food records and meal choices
needs fixingFood charts did not always give enough detail to show how much people had eaten. People living with dementia were not always shown food options to help them choose, and one dining room was not set before meals.
“Food charts required more detailed information to enable staff to check the actual amount people had eaten.” from the report
End-of-life wishes
needs fixingCare records included health information about end-of-life wishes, but did not always record spiritual or cultural preferences or arrangements after death.
“However, other information was not available for all people, so their wishes could be met at this important time.” from the report
- 01Have all staff files kept at the home now been updated with at least two references and interview records?
- 02What work has been completed to improve the areas where inspectors found hygiene concerns, wear and tear or insufficient seating?
- 03How do you now record the amount each person eats and help people living with dementia choose their meals?
- 04How are spiritual, cultural and after-death wishes recorded in each person's end-of-life care plan?
- 05How will you check that the improvements listed in the action plan have been completed?
This was a planned inspection that looked at all five key questions; the previous overall rating was Good and all five question ratings remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 April 2020 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 Willowdene Care Home
4 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- April 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- April 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 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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39 live-in carers within about an hour of South Tyneside
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 £1,140 a week. 34 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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