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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Dunsford

Goodpublished 22 May 2019, 7 years ago

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

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People told inspectors they felt safe. Risks were assessed and reviewed, staff knew how to respond to possible abuse, and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.
Effective?
Good
Staff had relevant training and understood people's health and dietary needs. Inspectors found that consent, best-interest decisions and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards were handled appropriately.
Caring?
Good
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported people to make choices, change their minds and maintain privacy and independence.
Responsive?
Good
Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and goals and were reviewed regularly. People were supported with activities, contact with family and complaints.
Well-led?
Good
The home had an open atmosphere and systems to monitor care quality. Since the previous inspection, the new registered manager had improved required reporting to CQC.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, May 2019

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with improvements in how the home was run.

The inspection took place on 7 and 13 March 2019. One inspector spoke with four people living at the home, staff and managers. They also observed care, checked two care records and reviewed medicines, training, recruitment, safeguarding, incidents and quality checks.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People told inspectors they felt safe and were treated with kindness and respect. Staff understood people's needs, supported their choices and helped them maintain their independence.

The previous inspection in June 2016 rated the home Good overall but Requires Improvement for Well-led. This time, inspectors found improvements in management, including better reporting to CQC and effective checks on the quality of care.

What inspectors praised
  • People felt safe

    People said they felt safe, and staff understood how to identify and report possible abuse. Risk plans were in place and reviewed regularly.

    “People told us they felt safe living at Dunsford.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors saw people relaxed with staff and seeking their company. Staff supported privacy, dignity, choices and independence.

    “People were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.” from the report
  • Personalised support

    Care plans were reviewed with people and included their wishes, needs and life goals. Staff supported hobbies, social activities, family visits and holidays.

    “Each person who lived at Dunsford had a care plan which set out their needs and guided staff about how they should support those needs.” from the report
  • Improved management

    Inspectors found that management systems had improved since the previous inspection. The home used audits, meetings and surveys to monitor and improve care.

    “The registered provider had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the services provided.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Permanent staff vacancies

    minor

    The home had vacancies for some care worker posts. The report says the missing permanent hours were covered by bank staff from elsewhere in the organisation, who were known to people living at the home.

    “The registered manager told us they had vacancies for some care worker posts which they were currently recruiting for.” from the report
  • Previous reporting failures

    minor

    At the previous inspection, the former manager had not reported some incidents to CQC as required. Inspectors found that the new manager had corrected this and was sending the required information.

    “At our last inspection visit we found that the previous registered manager had failed to notify us about a number of incidents” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are the current care worker vacancies affecting staffing, and which bank staff may support my relative?
  2. 02How will my relative be involved in reviewing their care plan and choosing their keyworker?
  3. 03How are my relative's medicines stored, administered and checked?
  4. 04How are risks reviewed while still supporting my relative's independence?
  5. 05How can my relative or our family raise a complaint, and how will it be followed up?

This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including both the premises and the care provided; the previous report's Well-led rating was improved from Requires Improvement to Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 May 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 Dunsford

2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. May 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Dunsford →

  2. July 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. April 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. July 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. November 2010

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 November 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

9 live-in carers within about an hour of Lincolnshire

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.

8 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.

“Martin was more than a carer, he managed the home and became my uncle's best friend, enriching his life during his last few years.”
Julie V., about Martin G.
“Magda was always positive and proactive about trying new things to keep dad busy. She also introduced new ideas for keeping dad healthy.”
Scot H., about Magdalena B.
See live-in carers near LincolnshireProfiles, 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.