CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Castle Farm Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, January 2019
Castle Farm Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with some Mental Capacity Act records needing improvement.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 15 December 2018. One inspector spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals. They reviewed care files, medicine records, staff files, risk assessments, complaints and quality checks, and observed care.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, suitable recruitment checks, clean surroundings and good support with food, drink and healthcare.
People and relatives described staff as kind, respectful and approachable. Care plans were personalised, activities were provided, complaints were handled and leaders used audits and feedback to improve the home.
There was one important shortfall. Mental Capacity Act assessments were too general in some cases, and some relatives had given consent without the legal authority to do so. The CQC made a recommendation for this to be corrected.
Safe medicines
Medicines were administered by trained staff whose competence was checked. Records, storage and stock checks were found to be safe.
“People received their medicines safely. The service had safe arrangements for the ordering, storage and disposal of medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff listening to people, asking what they wanted and supporting them respectfully.
“People, their relatives and professionals thought staff at Castle Farm Care Home were kind and caring.” from the report
Open management
Leaders sought feedback from people, relatives and professionals. Audits and action plans were used to identify and make improvements.
“Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the standard of care provided at the service.” from the report
Mental Capacity Act records
needs fixingAssessments did not always cover specific decisions, such as personal care. In some cases, relatives gave consent without having the legal authority to do so, so the home was asked to improve its practice.
“The home did not always meet the requirements of the MCA.” from the report
- 01How do you now assess capacity for each specific decision, rather than making only a general assessment?
- 02How do you record best-interest decisions, and how are the person, family and professionals involved?
- 03How do you check that consent has been given by someone with the correct legal authority?
- 04How will you review my relative's care plan, communication needs, activities and end of life wishes?
- 05How do you use current feedback, complaints, accidents and audits to improve care?
This was an unannounced inspection of the care provided and accommodation, with all five CQC questions assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 January 2019 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 Castle Farm Care Home
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 March 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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
15 live-in carers within about an hour of Dorset
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 £1,040 to £1,340 a week. 11 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Even when things get a bit chaotic (as they sometimes do!), you’ve handled it with patience and a sense of humour — which is gold.”
“Nina was patient, focussed on my aunt's physical well-being, and unfazed by what at the time was a new and uncertain situation”
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.