Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Creedy Court

Goodpublished 22 July 2022, 4 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found suitable staffing, risk management, medicines systems, infection control and emergency arrangements.
Effective?
Good
This question was not assessed during this inspection, so no current rating is given in this report.
Caring?
Good
This question was not assessed during this inspection, so no current rating is given in this report. The report nevertheless says people received kind and compassionate care and that staff respected their privacy and dignity.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not assessed during this inspection, so no current rating is given in this report.
Well-led?
Good
Inspectors found that management systems were effective, staff could raise concerns, and people's needs and wishes were central to the service. This rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, July 2022

Creedy Court rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support and effective management, with Safe and Well-led improved from Requires Improvement.

The inspection visit took place on 25 May 2022, with inspection activity continuing until 7 June. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and professionals. They also reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management records.

The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, medicines were managed safely, staffing matched people's needs, and infection control arrangements were suitable. People received kind and compassionate care, with support shaped around their wishes, needs and independence.

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led. Both questions were rated Good and had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. The report does not give new ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful care

    People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff understood people's individual needs and protected their privacy and dignity.

    “People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity.” from the report
  • Support for independence

    People could personalise their rooms and choose how they used different areas of the home. Staff supported people to follow interests and access community health and social care services.

    “The environment was organised so that they could be as independent as possible.” from the report
  • Safe staffing and risk management

    The home had a stable staff team with the skills needed to support people. Care plans and risk assessments gave staff information about how to keep people safe.

    “Risk assessments and care plans gave staff the information they needed to support people to safely manage the risks they face.” from the report
  • Learning from incidents

    Managers investigated incidents and introduced extra arrangements after a COVID-19 outbreak caused staffing pressures. Audits also showed a reduction in medicine errors after new strategies were introduced.

    “When things went wrong, staff apologised and gave people honest information and suitable support” from the report
  • Open management

    Staff felt able to raise concerns with managers. Management audits were used to identify problems and improve the service.

    “Governance processes were effective and helped to hold staff to account, keep people safe, protect people's rights and provide good quality care and support.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Activities were still restarting

    minor

    Some activities had stopped during the pandemic and were only beginning to resume at the inspection. Ask what activities are available now and how often people can take part.

    “Although during the pandemic some activities ceased, they were beginning to start up again now.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Which activities are currently available, now that some activities have restarted after the pandemic?
  2. 02How do you make sure there are enough staff if sickness or another emergency causes staffing levels to fall?
  3. 03What checks are now used to prevent and respond to medicine errors?
  4. 04What changes have been made to the fire safety system, room decoration and carpets since the inspection?
  5. 05What are the current ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive, which were not reassessed in this inspection?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the report says the other questions were not looked at during this inspection and their earlier ratings were not updated. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 July 2022 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, April 2019

Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind and effective care, but safety checks, staff training and quality monitoring were not always reliable.

This was an unannounced, focused inspection brought forward because of information about possible risks or concerns. Inspectors reviewed records, spoke with people, staff, managers and a healthcare professional, and contacted relatives and other professionals.

People generally said they felt safe and happy. Staff were kind, knew people's needs, supported independence and worked well with health professionals. Medicines, care planning, staffing and support with food and healthcare were also found to be effective.

The home was not always safe or well-led. Inspectors found infection risks in the laundry, a possible risk from an unsecured freezer, and many staff were not up to date with important training. The overall rating fell from Good at the previous inspection to Requires Improvement.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind, respectful support

    People and relatives described staff as kind and knowledgeable. Inspectors saw staff taking time to understand what people wanted and supporting them at their own pace.

    “People and relatives said that staff were kind and knowledgeable about the people they supported.” from the report
  • Good health support

    Staff noticed changes in people's health and made appropriate referrals. Healthcare professionals confirmed that staff worked with them effectively.

    “Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the support they needed if they became unwell or if their presentation changed.” from the report
  • Choice and independence

    People were involved in decisions about their care, food, activities and outings. Staff supported people to remain as independent as possible.

    “People were encouraged to live as independently as possible, doing activities of their choice.” from the report
  • Safe medicines practice

    Medicines systems were organised, and people received medicines at the right time. Staff were patient and did not rush people when giving medicines.

    “Medicines systems were organised and people were receiving their medicines when they should.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Laundry infection risk

    serious

    On the first inspection day, clean clothes were hung above a bin used for dirty laundry, and the washing line blocked easy access to the handwashing basin. The problem was addressed during the inspection, but 22 of 43 staff were not up to date with infection control training.

    “People were not adequately protected from the risk of infection in the laundry.” from the report
  • Staff training gaps

    serious

    Many staff were not up to date with essential infection control or safeguarding training. This could mean staff were not fully aware of current guidance for supporting people safely.

    “Records showed 17 out of 43 staff were not up to date with mandatory training about how to protect vulnerable people from the risks of abuse.” from the report
  • Unsecured freezer

    serious

    Inspectors identified an unsecured freezer in an open hallway. Some people might have taken food that needed cooking before it was safe to eat.

    “Another environmental risk was a freezer in an open hallway.” from the report
  • Communication between managers and staff

    needs fixing

    Some staff said meetings with senior managers were not held as regularly as they wanted. They said this sometimes meant important communication was missed.

    “They said this sometimes led to communications being missed.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What has been done to make sure the laundry remains safe and that clean and dirty laundry are kept separate?
  2. 02How many staff are now up to date with safeguarding and infection control training?
  3. 03What action was taken about the unsecured freezer in the open hallway?
  4. 04How do managers now check that their quality monitoring finds environmental and safety problems?
  5. 05How will people, relatives and staff be involved in planning and checking improvements?

This was an unannounced responsive focused inspection prompted by information about possible risk or concern; the report gives ratings for Safe, Effective and Well-led, but no separate ratings for Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 April 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Creedy Court

4 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. July 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Creedy Court →

  2. April 2019Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at Creedy Court →

  3. June 2018Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. February 2016Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. April 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. October 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. April 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. 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.

Next steps

Weigh the report against the rest

Care at home

17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon

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 £1,020 to £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.

“She is such a warm and gentle person while being professional and competent at the same time.”
Martin B., about Love B.
“She looked after my mum, who can be incredibly challenging, so well and so gently, and we always felt confident that my mum was getting the best care available.”
Holly C., about Dace L.
See live-in carers near DevonProfiles, rates and reviews are free to look at.

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.