CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Drakes Place
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, September 2018
Drakes Place was rated Good; inspectors found kind, choice-led care, with staffing vacancies and one records-security issue to check.
This was an announced comprehensive inspection on 29 and 30 August 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals. They also checked care plans, risk assessments, medicines records, recruitment files, complaints, incidents and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff on the inspection days, safe medicines support, trained staff, detailed care plans and good support for people's choices and communication.
There were some points to watch. The home had seven staff vacancies, and some staff and a relative said this sometimes affected activities. Inspectors also found an office containing care records and medicine-cabinet keys was briefly left open, but the manager acted immediately.
Choice and independence
Staff supported people to make choices about daily life, personal care, food and activities. Risk assessments were used to support independence safely.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff being kind, patient and respectful. People were supported with privacy, dignity and contact with family and friends.
“Staff showed kindness and patience when supporting people and regularly asked if people were ok as they passed them by.” from the report
Communication support
The home recorded how people communicated, including through gestures, sounds, sign language and pictures. This helped staff understand people who could not communicate verbally.
“Each person had a communication profile in their care and support plans which meant staff knew how people communicated and what certain sounds and gestures meant for that person.” from the report
Training and health support
Staff received training suited to the needs of the people living in the home. The home also involved health professionals when specialist advice was needed.
“In addition to formal training staff received specialist training such as Epilepsy rescue medicines and Autism awareness.” from the report
Learning from incidents
The manager reviewed incidents and made changes to reduce the chance of them happening again. Lessons were shared with staff.
“Where incidents had occurred, the registered manager had used these to make improvements to the service.” from the report
Staff vacancies
needs fixingThe home had seven vacancies. Although inspectors found enough staff to keep people safe during the visit, some staff and a relative said shortages sometimes stopped activities.
“However, staff told us they were often short staffed and felt this stopped them doing some activities at times.” from the report
Confidential records
minorAn office in a communal area was left open while it contained care records and medicine-cabinet keys. The manager acted immediately and the door was then kept locked when not in use.
“Staff did not always protect people's confidential records.” from the report
- 01How many of the seven staff vacancies reported in August 2018 have now been filled?
- 02How do you make sure staffing shortages do not reduce people's activities or time with staff?
- 03What arrangements are now in place to keep care records and medicine-cabinet keys secure?
- 04How will you support my relative's particular communication method, especially if they cannot communicate verbally?
- 05How are families involved in care plan reviews and decisions about changes in care?
This was an announced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, and all five ratings were Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 September 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 Drakes Place
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- September 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 June 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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76 live-in carers within about two hours of Somerset
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 £1,370 a week. 62 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“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.”
“She was not phased by anything, she was adaptable, kind & gave us complete confidence to go away & not worry about a thing!”
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.