CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth)
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth): inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CQC carried out an announced, targeted inspection on 16 February 2021. It looked at infection prevention and control because of the coronavirus pandemic, rather than carrying out a full inspection of all aspects of care.
Inspectors found measures to reduce infection risks for visitors, residents and staff. These included health screening, temperature checks, safer window visits, regular testing, enough personal protective equipment, extra cleaning and infection-control audits.
Staff supported people to keep in touch with loved ones and paid attention to the emotional impact of isolation. The home had plans for COVID-19 outbreaks and other emergencies.
The service was marked 'Inspected but not rated'. This visit does not provide a new overall quality rating or ratings for the other four questions.
Visitor infection controls
Visitors were screened for COVID-19 symptoms and had their temperature taken. A sealed door helped make window visits safer.
“A sealed door with a large glass panel had been installed at the front of the property to enable safer window visits.” from the report
Staff PPE and training
Staff had extra training, understood the importance of PPE and had access to masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser.
“Staff were committed to keeping people safe. They had undertaken additional training and understood the importance of wearing appropriate PPE.” from the report
Emotional support
Staff helped people stay in contact with loved ones and considered the emotional effects of isolation, including during quarantine.
“Staff understood the impact the isolation could have on people and sought to support people's emotional wellbeing.” from the report
Monitoring and planning
Infection-control audits and action plans were used, alongside regular COVID-19 testing and contingency plans for outbreaks or emergencies.
“Infection prevention and control audits took place and action plans were developed to follow up on any required actions.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection-control arrangements are currently in place for visitors, including health screening and safer visiting?
- 02How often are staff and residents tested for COVID-19 or other infections now?
- 03How do you support a resident who needs to quarantine but cannot stay safely in their room because of their mental health?
- 04How are infection-control audits and action plans followed up?
- 05What are the current plans if there is an outbreak or another emergency?
This was an announced, targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; it did not rate the other areas of the service. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 March 2021 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.
What inspectors found, October 2019
Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth) was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with the environment needing review for people with dementia.
Inspectors visited on 9 and 11 September 2019 without giving notice. They spoke with five people living at the home, four staff members and the manager. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, safety records and recruitment records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, kind staff and care that reflected people's choices, routines and interests.
The home had a new provider and manager since the previous inspection. Inspectors found that monitoring systems, staff training, activities and opportunities for people to influence decisions had improved. They recommended reviewing the environment to help people with dementia remain independent.
Kind and familiar care
People had trusting relationships with staff who knew their preferences and treated them with kindness and respect.
“People had built trusting and familiar relationships with the staff who supported them.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, with staffing adjusted when needs changed. Medicines were given, recorded and stored safely.
“There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and to meet their needs.” from the report
Activities and family contact
People were supported to stay in touch with relatives and take part in activities and trips that gave them social stimulation.
“People were encouraged to stay in touch with friends and family and visitors were always welcome.” from the report
Quality improvement
The manager used monitoring systems and feedback to improve training, activities and opportunities for people to influence decisions.
“They had developed an action plan to address areas that could be improved.” from the report
Environment and dementia support
needs fixingThe home was supporting more people with dementia. Inspectors said the environment might make it harder for people to find bedrooms, bathrooms and communal areas independently, and recommended a review.
“We recommend the provider seeks appropriate guidance and review the environment to maximise the independence and well being of people with dementia related care needs.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the environment to help people with dementia find their bedrooms, bathrooms and communal areas?
- 02How do you decide when extra staff are needed if someone becomes unwell or needs end-of-life care?
- 03How do you check that medicines given as required are offered and recorded correctly?
- 04What activities and trips are currently available, and how do you match them to each person's interests?
- 05How are people's views from meetings and surveys turned into changes in the home?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the previous Good ratings were rechecked. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 October 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 Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth)
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth) →
- October 2019GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Chestnuts Residential Care Home (Weymouth) →
- July 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 July 2018.
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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