CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Belmont
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks such as choking and epilepsy were assessed and managed, medicines were given safely, and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care plans covered health and social needs and were reviewed. Staff worked with health professionals, received training and supported people with healthcare, food and communication.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff supported privacy, dignity, communication and involvement in decisions.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care and activities were personalised around people's preferences and could change when people changed their minds. Staff supported community involvement, independence and complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- A registered manager was in post, improving the previous well-led rating. Audits, staff feedback, meetings and a service development plan were used to monitor and improve the home.
What inspectors found, October 2018
Belmont rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with well-led management improved since the previous inspection.
This was a comprehensive, unannounced inspection on 7 and 8 August 2018. One inspector reviewed care plans, staffing, training, recruitment, medicines, audits and safety records. They spoke with people living at the home, staff, a relative and visiting professionals, and observed care.
The home supported six people with learning disabilities and could accommodate seven. Inspectors found that medicines were given safely, staffing levels met people's needs, risks were managed and staff understood safeguarding. People were supported with healthcare, activities, communication and daily living tasks.
Inspectors found kind and respectful relationships. People were involved in choices about their care and activities, and care plans were personalised. All five areas were rated Good. Well-led had improved from Requires Improvement because a registered manager was now in post.
Safe medicines and staffing
Medicines were managed safely and records showed people received them when needed. Staffing levels were planned around people's assessed needs, including one-to-one support.
“Medicine administration records (MAR) confirmed that people had received their medicines when they needed them” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw positive relationships and found that staff respected people's privacy, dignity and individual ways of communicating.
“People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect by the staff team who demonstrated strong supportive relationships.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans described people's preferences, communication, life history and support needs. People chose activities and were supported to build independence.
“Plans were personalised and provided detailed pen portraits of each person.” from the report
Improved management
A registered manager was in post, addressing the reason the well-led area had previously needed improvement. The home used audits, staff feedback and a development plan.
“At this inspection a registered manager was in post and we found continuing evidence to support the overall rating of Good” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you currently make sure medicines, including medicines taken as required, are given and recorded safely?
- 02How do you assess and manage risks such as choking, epilepsy or behaviours that may put someone at risk?
- 03How will you support the person to communicate choices and take part in decisions about their care?
- 04What activities and opportunities for independence could you offer, based on the person's interests and goals?
- 05How many staff are normally on duty, and how would staffing change if the person's needs increased?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five questions and the overall quality of the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 October 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.
Every inspection of Belmont
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 December 2010.
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.
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39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Always on time and with a lovely smile for my mum. Theresa is kind and sensitive to my mum's needs.”
“Irene was a very kind and empathetic carer who knew just the right words to say to put a smile on my face.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.