Operated by Northumberland County Council

North STSS (Short Term Support Service) Alnwick

OutstandingRated 3 Jul 2024Home care · Alnwick

CQC Key Questions

Safe

Good

People are protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

Effective

Good

Care achieves good outcomes and quality of life.

Caring

Good

Staff treat people with compassion, dignity, respect.

Responsive

Outstanding

Services are tailored to people's needs.

Well-led

Outstanding

Leadership and culture support quality care.

What inspectors found

30 findings

Note30 Oct 2021
Religious, spiritual and equality needs documented; advocacy services signposted
Note30 Oct 2021
Independence goals set collaboratively; weekly progress recorded
Note30 Oct 2021
Privacy and dignity embedded in practice; people highly positive about respectful care
Note30 Oct 2021
People involved in care planning; preferences and choices clearly documented

Note30 Oct 2021
Mental Capacity Act 2005 principles followed; consent documented
Note30 Oct 2021
Comprehensive baseline assessment on referral; urgent referrals responded to within two hours
Note30 Oct 2021
Supervisions at least every four months; annual appraisal with six-month review and workplace observation
Note30 Oct 2021
Staff induction, mandatory training up to date, monitored regularly

Note12 Dec 2025
No complaints received; overwhelmingly positive feedback from people, relatives and healthcare professionals
Note12 Dec 2025
Safe recruitment processes and enhanced staff training including falls prevention above care certificate standard
Note12 Dec 2025
Sufficient staffing levels with people reporting staff were never rushed and often exceeded allocated visit times
Note12 Dec 2025
Continuous improvement driven by regular '2 minutes of your time' staff and people feedback surveys
Note12 Dec 2025
Service-specific induction process ensuring new staff rapidly acquire relevant skills and build client relationships
Note

Note30 Oct 2021
Complaints and concerns actively encouraged via 'Have your say' sheets; one concern resolved satisfactorily
Note30 Oct 2021
End of life care supported; staff trained and policies in place
Note30 Oct 2021
Research-based assessment tools (COPM, Tinetti) used for proactive person-centred care planning
Note30 Oct 2021
Exceptionally flexible service; staff walked through snow to ensure no missed visits

Note30 Oct 2021
Infection control: annual and quarterly audits carried out
Note30 Oct 2021
Medicines management: policy, training, annual competency checks and weekly reviews in place
Note30 Oct 2021
Safeguarding responsibilities understood; staff trained in protection of vulnerable adults

Note30 Oct 2021
Integrated model of care with NICE guidance adopted; collaborative partnerships with NHS, Red Cross, Age UK and local charities
Note30 Oct 2021
Performance and quality assurance framework with audits, satisfaction surveys and quarterly CQC compliance action plans
Note30 Oct 2021
Electronic monitoring system used to manage resources, punctuality, visit lengths and staff capacity
Note30 Oct 2021
Open door policy; staff report fantastic support from management including out-of-hours on-call manager

Source: CQC inspection reports under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Practical info

OutstandingGoodRequires improvementInadequateNot ratedCluster (mixed)

Comparable agencies nearby

Not Rated0.3 km awayNorthumberland

Registered manager: Simpson, Rosalind

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