CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Clervaux Trust
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, recorded risk assessments and appropriate arrangements for administering and storing medicines.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff were trained and supported, and people's needs and dietary requirements were assessed. Inspectors noted that records about distress, consent and best-interests decisions were being improved.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people respectfully, offered choices and supported their dignity, communication and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People could take part in activities at the farm, in the community and at home, and the complaints process was in place.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had regular checks, surveys and action plans. The registered manager had recently left, and a new manager was completing the registration process.
What inspectors found, July 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with some records still being improved.
Inspectors visited on 14 June, 19 June and 3 July 2018. They spoke with people using the home, managers and staff, observed care, checked care and staff records, and visited the provider's farm and activity facilities. They also considered information from professionals, complaints and the provider's own records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine arrangements, suitable training, respectful care and activities based on people's interests.
Some records were being strengthened. This included clearer plans for supporting people when distressed, and clearer records about consent, mental capacity and best-interests decisions. The previous registered manager had left, and a new manager was completing their CQC registration.
The overall rating remained Good. The home was last inspected in October 2015 and was also rated Good overall.
Safe staffing and medicines
There were enough staff to support people during the day and overnight. Inspectors found suitable recruitment checks and safe arrangements for medicines.
“There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe.” from the report
Respectful support
Staff offered choices, protected people's dignity and encouraged them to do as much as possible for themselves.
“Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people's independence by encouraging them to care for themselves.” from the report
Meaningful activities
People could take part in a broad range of activities linked to their interests, including work with animals, pottery, woodwork, metal work and textiles.
“People had access to a wide range of meaningful activities such as farming, animal care, pottery, woodwork, metal work and textile production at the provider's farm.” from the report
Quality checks
The manager carried out regular checks and used action plans when issues were found. Families, people using the home and staff were asked for their views.
“The manager conducted a formal, monthly check of the service.” from the report
Care records being strengthened
minorInspectors said support plans for times when people were distressed needed to be clearer and more detailed. A new incident tool had been introduced to help improve this information.
“The manager was in the process of reviewing records to ensure they provided comprehensive information about how to support people.” from the report
Consent records being improved
minorDocuments about consent for one-to-one support and financial management were being improved. Mental capacity and best-interests records were also being made clearer.
“The manager was in the process of improving documents related to obtaining people's consent to have one-to-one support and have their finances managed.” from the report
New manager registration
minorThe previous registered manager had recently left. The new manager was still completing the CQC registration process at the time of the inspection.
“A new manager had recently come into post and they were in the process of completing the registration process.” from the report
- 01Has the new manager now completed their CQC registration?
- 02What changes have been made to support plans for people who become distressed?
- 03How are consent decisions about one-to-one support and financial management now recorded?
- 04How are mental capacity assessments and best-interests decisions checked for clarity?
- 05Which activities at the farm or in the community would be suitable for my relative?
Inspectors visited the home and the provider's office and farm, spoke with people and staff, observed care and checked records across all five quality areas. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 July 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 Clervaux Trust
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 16 February 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
36 live-in carers within about an hour of Darlington
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 £970 to £1,230 a week. 35 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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.