CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Windy Knowe Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed. They found effective hygiene procedures, suitable PPE, testing, safe admissions and arrangements to prevent or manage outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and COVID-19 safety arrangements.
This was a targeted, announced inspection on 11 March 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, 31 people were living in the home, which can support up to 49 people.
Inspectors found the home was clean and well maintained. Staff had suitable personal protective equipment, testing was in place, and staffing was managed so there was less movement between floors. Inspectors were assured that the home had measures covering visitors, admissions, shielding, social distancing and infection outbreaks.
The home supported contact between residents and relatives through video calls and a visiting pod. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full quality rating or ratings for all five areas of care.
Clean environment
The home was clean, hygienic and well maintained, with infection prevention procedures in place.
“the environment was clean, hygienic and well-maintained.” from the report
Personal protective equipment
Staff had the PPE they needed, stock levels were managed, and staff were seen using it appropriately.
“The staff were provided with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), PPE stock levels were well managed” from the report
Staff deployment
Staffing levels were managed carefully, with consistent staff allocated to particular floors to reduce movement around the home.
“Consistent staff were allocated to specific floors meaning there was less cross over of staff across the home.” from the report
Contact with relatives
The home helped residents keep in touch with relatives through video calls and a visiting pod for socially distanced visits.
“Relatives were supported to maintain regular contact with people who lived at the home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are infection prevention and control procedures being maintained now?
- 02How do you manage PPE stock levels and make sure staff use PPE correctly?
- 03How are staff allocated between floors, and has this arrangement changed since the inspection?
- 04How do residents currently keep in contact with relatives and receive visits?
- 05How do you test residents and staff, and how would you manage an infection outbreak?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the other care areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 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, January 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care and improvements since the previous inspection, although staffing levels and occasional smells needed attention.
Inspectors visited the home without giving notice on 3 and 4 December 2019. They spoke with relatives, staff and a visiting GP, observed care, and checked care plans, medicines, staff records and management information.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found medicines were managed safely, care plans were detailed, staff were trained, and people were treated with kindness and respect.
The home had improved since the previous inspection, which was rated Requires Improvement. Medicines and documentation had improved, and the provider had introduced audits and other changes to monitor quality.
Inspectors noted that some visitors felt there were not always enough staff, and that the home could sometimes smell unpleasant. The activities co-ordinator had also recently left, although staff were continuing the activities programme.
Safer medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were stored securely and administered by trained staff. Previous problems with thickener storage and as-needed medicine instructions had been addressed.
“Medications were stored securely, and medication was only administered by staff who had the correct training to do so.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People appeared comfortable with staff, and inspectors saw warm interactions. Relatives described staff as kind, patient and respectful.
“We observed warm and caring interactions between staff and people using the service.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's needs, choices, routines and preferences. Staff were able to describe the people they supported in detail.
“People's preferences in relation to their care and treatment, daily routines and how they liked to spend their time was clearly documented.” from the report
Good food and nutrition support
People's dietary and hydration needs were recorded and supported. Relatives praised the food, and smaller kitchen areas allowed people and visitors to access drinks and snacks.
“All the visitors we spoke with said the food was excellent and there was plenty of it.” from the report
Improvement work
The provider used the previous inspection findings to improve medicines, records and quality monitoring. Regular audits were used to identify and address actions.
“The provider and registered manager had used the previous inspection report findings to improve the processes so that the care being delivered was safe, effective and responsive.” from the report
Staffing was not always enough
needs fixingInspectors saw what appeared to be an appropriate number of staff during the visit, but visitors said this was not always the case. Recruitment was ongoing.
“However, the feedback we received from visitors indicated that this was not always the case.” from the report
Occasional unpleasant smells
minorVisitors said the home was sometimes malodorous. Inspectors saw that staff and managers were working to improve this.
“Feed back from visitors indicated that the home was at times malodorous.” from the report
Activities leadership changed
minorThe activities co-ordinator had recently left. Managers said staff were continuing the programme, with social events and future activities planned.
“The activities co-ordinator had recently left however the registered manager informed us that the staff were continuing with the programme.” from the report
- 01How many staff are normally on duty during the day and night, and what has changed since visitors raised concerns about staffing levels?
- 02What steps have been taken to prevent unpleasant smells in the home?
- 03Who now organises activities since the activities co-ordinator left, and what activities are currently available?
- 04How will you keep families involved in care plan reviews and meetings?
- 05How are medicines, including as-needed medicines and thickener for drinks, checked and recorded?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions and followed the previous rating of Requires Improvement. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 January 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 Windy Knowe Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- January 2020Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 April 2016.
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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40 live-in carers within about an hour of Wirral
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 £980 to £1,230 a week. 37 can care for a couple. 8 years' experience on average.
“It was clear that she genuinely cared and her warm approach really helped put our minds at ease.”
“He developed a close affinity with Terence, spending time talking with him before he retired to bed and looking after his needs during the night.”
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.