CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Drake Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People said they felt safe. Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, enough staff, safe medicines systems and effective safeguarding arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff had training and support. Health care, nutrition and consent arrangements were generally well managed, although the menu was sometimes limited and further dementia training was being developed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, patient and respectful. People were offered choices, supported to remain independent and treated with dignity.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and staff understood people's preferences and communication needs. Activities were available and complaints were investigated, while some care plans were still being rewritten.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had an open culture, clear management responsibilities and robust quality checks. Inspectors found a clear improvement plan and good partnership working.
What inspectors found, January 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some improvements still being developed.
This was a planned inspection. Inspectors visited on 7 and 10 January 2020. The first day was unannounced and the second was announced. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, observed care and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, kind care, good support for people with dementia and strong management systems.
The inspectors also noted areas still being worked on. These included improving some care plans, extending the food choices, making building improvements and gathering more information about people's end of life wishes. None of these findings changed the overall Good rating.
Enough, consistent staff
Relatives and professionals said staff were usually available and familiar. Rotas were arranged to provide extra support at busier or more unsettled times.
“There were enough staff to meet the needs of people. Staff were visible in communal areas and where possible, sat and talked with people.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff offering reassurance, affection and patience. People were given choices and encouraged to do what they could for themselves.
“Staff were kind and caring, spoke of people with fondness and were patient when supporting people that expressed their frustrations or showed signs of distress.” from the report
Personalised dementia support
Staff learned how people communicated and what they preferred, including when people could not explain this verbally. Activities were adapted to people's interests and abilities.
“Some people were unable to verbalise how they wanted their care provided so staff had learned over time, to read their body language and interpret their behaviours to work out what they liked and did not.” from the report
Strong management checks
The management team used audits and an improvement plan to monitor safety, care, equipment and records. Staff were encouraged to discuss mistakes and learn from them.
“Quality assurance systems were robust, covering building safety, care practices, equipment, and records quality checking.” from the report
Good health support
People had access to health professionals, including a weekly GP visit. Inspectors found good communication and examples of improved wellbeing, including weight gain and low levels of pressure ulcers.
“We saw where people had been supported to achieve positive outcomes that improved their wellbeing.” from the report
Some care plans needed updating
needs fixingCare plans were being reviewed and rewritten to reflect the detailed knowledge staff had about people. Some still needed further development, and a small number used language considered out of date.
“Care plans were in the process of being reviewed and re-written to include the rich detail staff knew about people.” from the report
Limited menu choices
minorThe new chef was still learning people's dietary preferences. Inspectors recorded that some people and staff felt the choices were sometimes limited.
“There were plans to extend the range of options on the menu as some people and staff fed back they were sometimes limited.” from the report
Building improvements were planned
minorThe listed building limited some changes. A rolling programme of renovations was planned, including converting an upstairs bathroom into a more accessible wet room.
“The provider and registered manager acknowledged there were improvements to be made to the building and had a rolling programme of renovations planned.” from the report
Some end of life wishes still needed discussion
needs fixingSome people's wishes had been recorded, but the home knew it needed to speak with more people and relatives about future end of life care.
“The service was aware where people and relatives needed to be further consulted on end of life wishes.” from the report
- 01What progress has been made in updating the care plans that inspectors said still needed further development?
- 02How wide is the current food choice, and how are my relative's preferences and dietary needs recorded?
- 03Has the planned conversion of the upstairs bathroom into an accessible wet room been completed?
- 04How will you involve my relative and our family in recording and reviewing end of life wishes?
- 05What dementia-specific training have staff completed since the inspection, and what further training is planned?
This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the home retained the Good rating previously published in July 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 January 2020 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, July 2017
Drake Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a few medicines and record-keeping issues addressed during or after the visit.
Inspectors visited on 6 and 7 June 2017. The first day was unannounced. They spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They also observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, trained staff and appropriate support with health, eating and drinking. They saw staff being patient, kind and respectful.
Care was personalised and included regular group and individual activities. The home had systems for complaints, reviews and quality monitoring. Inspectors identified some minor problems, including wet medicines boxes in a fridge, an out-of-date homely medicine and disorganised medicines policies. These issues were reported and action was taken.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Staffing was adjusted when people's needs changed.
“There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to keep people safe and make sure their needs were met.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and responded calmly when people were distressed. Inspectors saw privacy and dignity being respected.
“We saw many examples of support being delivered with compassion by staff who knew people well and understood their needs.” from the report
Personalised activities
The home recorded people's interests and offered group and individual activities. Activities were adapted as people's needs changed.
“An activities coordinator worked in the home five days each week, and was responsible for planning and delivering group and individual activities and events.” from the report
Medicines fridge
needs fixingSome medicine boxes in the fridge were wet and there was water at the bottom. The manager said this was dealt with after inspectors reported it.
“It was noted that some of the medicines boxes in the fridge were wet and there was water at the bottom of the fridge.” from the report
Out-of-date medicine
needs fixingAn out-of-date homely medicine was found and was disposed of during the visit.
“An out of date homely medicine was found in the homely medicines cabinet and this was also reported and disposed of at the time of the visit.” from the report
Records and policies being updated
needs fixingThe home was moving from paper records to an electronic system, which was not yet fully embedded. Some medicines policies were disorganised and difficult to access, but the provider later confirmed they had been organised.
“It was noted that some of the homes policies and procedures relating to medicines were disorganised and difficult to access.” from the report
- 01Have the electronic care records now been fully transferred and checked for accuracy?
- 02How do you check medicines are stored correctly and that none are out of date?
- 03Are the medicines policies now easy for staff to find and follow?
- 04How are staffing levels adjusted when a resident's needs or risks change?
- 05What individual activities are available for someone with dementia or changing abilities?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, and all five ratings were Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 July 2017 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 Drake Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 March 2014.
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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