Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvementRated 11 months ago↓ Down from Good
SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?62%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 8 below good
Involving people to manage risksSignificant shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Medicines optimisationGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?62%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?70%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 below good
Responding to people's immediate needsSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?71%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 below good
Person-centred careSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?61%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 7 below good
Governance, management and sustainabilitySignificant shortfalls
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 22 good, 11 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
The Old Vicarage is in the Requires improvement tier ?, with 7 other homes in Northumberland.
91% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
The Old Vicarage is one of 93 care homes in Northumberland: a 28-bed residential care home in Wooler, run by People First Care (Wooler) Limited. It is registered to care for older people, people with dementia, people with a physical disability and people with a sensory impairment.
Its kitchen was rated 5 for food hygiene in December 2025. 95% of homes in Northumberland also score 5. 7 other homes in Northumberland share its tier, “Requires improvement”. The nearest home with a higher rating is Birch Hill Care Centre (Outstanding), 20.8 km away.
The current CQC rating is Requires improvement, published in November 2025. It was Requires improvement for safe and well-led as well. Effective, caring and responsive were rated Good. Its previous rating, in December 2022, was Good, so the home has slipped. The typical rating in Northumberland is about 3 years old, so this one is fairly recent. CQC found significant shortfalls in “involving people to manage risks”, one of 11 standards out of 33 scored below good.
