Eothen Residential Homes - Gosforth

Updated 16 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 1 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 16 March 2022

About the service

Eothen Residential Homes - Gosforth is a residential care home which provides older people with personal care. The home can accommodate up to 37 people. On the day of our inspection visit, 35 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives told us the care was safe and they were happy at the service. Medicines were managed safely using a new electronic system. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report concerns. Risk assessments were in place to ensure staff knew how to keep people safe.

Senior staff carried out detailed assessments of need to ensure the home could effectively support any new admissions. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and staff were trained to support people who had different dietary needs. Staff told us they were well trained and they were well supported and supervised by the management team. The service worked well with community healthcare partners such as the local GP practice to ensure people received healthcare support where needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. On the day of our visit a prospective parliamentary candidate visited the home and everyone was encouraged to share their views about the forthcoming general election. We saw that people were encouraged and supported to vote.

Interactions between people and the staff team were positive and relatives also said they were made very welcome at the home. We spoke with relatives visiting their loved one on their birthday and the home provided a homemade cake and tea which they were delighted by. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and preferences. People were supported to engage in activities to reduce their risk of social isolation. People were supported to express their spirituality, with whatever religion they chose to follow. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint, and those people we spoke with said they had opportunity, through regular meetings, to raise any issues they had.

There was a clear management structure and staff were supported by the registered manager. People's feedback was sought regularly and acted upon. We received positive feedback about how the service was managed. Quality assurance systems were completed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 09 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Eothen Residential Homes - Gosforth on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.