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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Bells Piece - Care Home Learning Disabilities

Requires improvementpublished 20 March 2026, 6 months ago

Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, June 2018

Bells Piece was rated Good overall, with Outstanding personalised support and opportunities, but inspectors found some medicines records and communication needed attention.

Inspectors made an unannounced, comprehensive visit on 21 May 2018. They spoke with people living in the home, staff, relatives and a social care professional. They also checked care records, medicines, training, safety checks and quality audits.

The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. Inspectors found enough suitably trained staff, safe medicines arrangements overall, kind care, support for people's health and effective checks on quality.

Responsive care was rated Outstanding. People were supported to make choices, build independence, access education and work, join in activities, use local services and maintain relationships. The home had no registered manager at the time, but a new manager had started and had applied to register.

What inspectors praised
  • Personalised opportunities

    People were supported to learn, work, take part in activities and build skills that increased their independence.

    “People could access individualised, meaningful activities and had the opportunity to learn and develop.” from the report
  • Community involvement

    People took part in local activities and used the home's shop, horticulture, catering and craft facilities.

    “People took a key role in their local community.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors saw a warm atmosphere and good relationships. Staff supported people's choices, privacy, dignity and independence.

    “There was a warm, caring atmosphere in the home.” from the report
  • Safety and staffing

    Staffing was adjusted to people's daily needs. Risks, accidents, safeguarding and emergency arrangements were considered.

    “People were supported by sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled staff to meet their needs and keep them safe.” from the report
  • Quality improvement

    The manager used audits, meetings and feedback to identify areas for improvement and create action plans.

    “The provider's quality monitoring systems were effective in ensuring people received good quality care and support.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Medicines records

    needs fixing

    Some records for topical creams were incomplete, and inspectors also found minor errors in medicines administration records. The manager had identified the issue and was taking action.

    “We did notice that some topical creams (medicines in cream format) records were not always completed.” from the report
  • Communication

    needs fixing

    Some relatives and staff said communication was not always reliable. The manager had an action plan to improve it.

    “One not so good thing is the breakdown in communication in staff. If I tell a staff member one thing I have to repeat it 13 times.” from the report
  • Manager registration

    minor

    There was no registered manager during the inspection. A new manager had started in March 2018 and had applied to register with the Commission.

    “A new manager had started at the service in March 2018 and had submitted their application to register with the Commission.” from the report
  • End of life planning

    minor

    No one was receiving end of life care, so related care plans had not been written. The manager said the home needed to start discussing this with people.

    “We are aware that we need to start talking to people about it.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Have all topical cream records and medicines administration records been checked and corrected since the inspection?
  2. 02Was the electronic medicines management system introduced in July 2018, and how does it prevent missing records?
  3. 03What changes have been made to improve communication between staff and with relatives?
  4. 04Is the manager now registered with the Care Quality Commission?
  5. 05How are people and families involved in planning for future end of life care?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions and the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 June 2018 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Bells Piece - Care Home Learning Disabilities

2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. June 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Bells Piece - Care Home Learning Disabilities →

  2. March 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. November 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. March 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. December 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. August 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. September 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. May 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. January 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 January 2011.

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.

Next steps

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