CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Dryad Spinney
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including PPE, testing, visiting, hygiene, social distancing and managing outbreaks. The provider also said it had measures to reduce the risks linked to COVID-19 staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this targeted visit.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this targeted visit.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this targeted visit.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this targeted visit.
What inspectors found, May 2022
Dryad Spinney was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and support for contact with loved ones.
This was an unannounced targeted inspection about infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and staffing pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report says the visit took place on 28 February 2022, although the detailed findings state 28 March 2022.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using protective equipment safely, supporting testing, managing visiting, and maintaining hygiene and social distancing. They were also told that measures were in place to reduce the effect of COVID-19 related staffing pressures.
The home supported people to keep in touch with relatives and friends. It used communication methods such as Social Stories, Easy Read information and Makaton to help people understand changes.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a rated judgement for the five key questions.
Contact with loved ones
People were supported to stay in regular contact with relatives and friends, including through video calls.
“The provider supported people to maintain frequent contact with their loved ones and friends.” from the report
Accessible communication
The home used communication methods suited to people's needs to explain guidance and changes.
“The provider supported people to understand the guidance and changes using their preferred communication methods.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had arrangements to reduce the risk of infection for people, staff and visitors.
“We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.” from the report
Activities and environment
The home adapted its environment and offered activities to support wellbeing and social distancing during the pandemic.
“The provider adapted the environment to ensure people's wellbeing was supported during the pandemic and came up with various activities for people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing any staffing pressures, and what effect do they have on people's support?
- 02What infection prevention and control arrangements are in place now, including PPE, testing, cleaning and outbreak management?
- 03How do you support visits from relatives and friends, and what visitor rules currently apply?
- 04How do you adapt communication for each person, including the use of Social Stories, Easy Read information or Makaton?
- 05What activities and environmental changes are available to support people's wellbeing?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19 related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated and the other key questions were not inspected. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 May 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.
What inspectors found, March 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some daily records needing improvement.
Inspectors visited on 13 December 2017. They spoke with a person who used the service, staff and managers, and later spoke with a relative. They also observed care and checked care records, medicines charts, staff files, risk assessments, complaints records and quality audits.
The home supported four adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. Inspectors found a calm and caring atmosphere. Staff understood people's individual needs, supported their choices and independence, and responded promptly when health concerns arose.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection on 12 November 2015. The report also noted an action to improve daily records so they better showed how people were offered choices and made decisions.
Kind and calm care
Inspectors found that staff spoke respectfully about people and understood their individual needs. The atmosphere was described as friendly, calm and caring.
“The atmosphere throughout the home was friendly, calm and caring.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's preferences, communication methods and goals. Staff adapted activities and support when people's needs or choices changed.
“Care plans were written in a personalised way and included information about what and who was important to the person.” from the report
Support for independence
Staff helped people make everyday decisions, build life skills, maintain relationships and take part in activities they chose.
“Staff promoted people's independence and encouraged them to make their own decisions.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely, with staff training and checks in place.
“People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs.” from the report
Good oversight
The management team used regular audits, staff meetings, surveys and action plans to monitor the service and identify improvements.
“Regular audits of the quality and safety of the service had continued to take place and were recorded.” from the report
Daily records needed improvement
minorThe provider had identified that staff needed to improve daily records. The aim was to show more clearly how people were offered choices and made decisions in everyday life.
“One action was in relation to improving how staff completed the daily records, in order to provide better evidence of how people were offered choices and made decisions in everyday life.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to daily records since the inspection, and how do you now show people's choices and decisions?
- 02How will you support my relative to communicate choices if they cannot communicate verbally?
- 03How will you make sure activities remain suited to my relative if they become anxious or an activity does not work for them?
- 04How will you involve our family in care reviews and decisions about support?
- 05How do you monitor medicines, staffing levels and changes in people's health needs?
This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC areas, including the care provided and the premises, with ratings given for safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 March 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 Dryad Spinney
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 July 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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26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
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 £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
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.