Aycliffe Care Home

Updated 19 December 2020

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 coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 24 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 19 December 2020

About the service

Aycliffe care home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal and nursing care to 49 people at the time of the inspection. Aycliffe care home accommodates up to 54 people.

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

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care and support they received. However, some people felt they had to wait a long time for staff to respond. Two relatives had raised concerns with the registered manager but felt their issues were not resolved.

People’s complaints were responded to by the registered manager. Actions taken were not always recorded. However, the registered manager and provider responded immediately to the concerns raised during our inspection. They took action to investigate relatives’ concerns and record the outcomes. We have made a recommendation that all complaints, actions and outcomes are recorded.

Feedback from people and their relatives regarding staffing levels was mixed. We have made a recommendation that staffing levels need to be reviewed in line with people’s needs.

Staff were recruited safely. People and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. Staff received support and a variety of training and more was planned to meet people’s needs.

People and relatives very positive feedback from people and their relatives regarding the range of activities available to people in the home to protect them from social isolation and keep them engaged. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and have an enjoyable dining experience.

People had care plans in place and these were written in a person-centred way that included life history, likes and dislikes. Medicines were managed well, administered and recorded accurately keeping people safe. People who received ‘when required’ medicines had clear instructions in place. Individualised risk assessments were in place. Staff were confident to raise concerns appropriately to safeguard people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Appropriate healthcare professionals were included in people’s care and support, as and when this was needed.

There were systems in place for communicating with staff, people and their relatives to ensure they were fully informed via meetings and communications. People had good links to the local community through regular access to local services.

People were supported to be independent were they could, their rights were respected and access to advocacy was available.

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 20 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.