CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Dunster Lodge Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, October 2019
Dunster Lodge Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some medicines guidance needing improvement.
The inspection took place without notice on 17 September 2019. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with 10 people living at the home, a visitor and four staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, health and safety records and quality surveys.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe, staff were kind and they could make choices about their daily routines. Inspectors also found good support with food, healthcare, activities, family contact and end of life care.
There were some areas to improve. There were no written protocols to guide staff when offering some medicines prescribed only when needed. Some bathrooms and toilets looked tired and needed redecoration, and care plans were described as basic. The management team said action would be taken.
Kind relationships
People were treated warmly and respectfully. Inspectors saw relaxed relationships, laughter and good-humoured conversation between people and staff.
“People had built trusting and affectionate relationships with the staff who supported them.” from the report
Personal choice
People could choose when to get up, go to bed and spend their day. Staff supported individual routines, interests and beliefs.
“People were able to follow their own routines and staff respected these.” from the report
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Recruitment checks were completed before staff began work.
“There were adequate numbers of staff to keep people safe and to meet their needs.” from the report
Support at the end of life
Staff had end of life training and worked with other professionals to keep people comfortable. Families were supported to stay with loved ones.
“The staff helped families to remain with their loved ones by providing support and refreshments.” from the report
Open management
The management team sought people's views, monitored standards and made changes when concerns were raised.
“People's views were sought and listened to.” from the report
Medicines given when needed
needs fixingSome medicines prescribed for use when needed did not have protocols explaining when staff should offer them or how people might show they needed them. The management team said this would be addressed immediately.
“However, there were no protocols in place to guide staff about when these should be offered, or how people may express their need for them.” from the report
Tired bathrooms and toilets
minorSome bathrooms and toilets looked tired and needed redecoration. The provider said redecoration was ongoing.
“Some areas, such as bathrooms and toilets, appeared tired and in need of redecoration.” from the report
Basic care plans
minorCare plans were described as basic. Staff knew people well and inspectors found that care was meeting their needs at the time of the inspection.
“Staff knew people well and although care plans were basic, staff were able to provide care and support which met their needs.” from the report
- 01What written protocols are now in place for medicines prescribed on an 'as required' basis?
- 02How do you check that people receive these medicines consistently when they need them?
- 03What redecoration has been completed in the bathrooms and toilets since the inspection?
- 04How detailed are care plans now, and how are they reviewed when people's needs change?
- 05How do you make sure staffing levels increase when someone is unwell or receiving end of life care?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 October 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.
What inspectors found, March 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some care records needing updating.
This was an unannounced inspection on 16 and 20 February 2017. One inspector spoke with seven people living at the home, a visitor, four staff members, the provider and the registered manager. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, staff files and quality checks.
Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine arrangements and suitable checks when recruiting staff. People said they felt safe and were helped quickly when they needed support. Staff had training and understood people's health, nutrition and care needs.
People described staff as kind and respectful. Care was generally personalised, and people could choose how they spent their time, where they ate and whether to join activities. Inspectors noted that some care plans did not fully reflect people's changing needs, and the manager agreed to improve monitoring and record keeping.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led were all rated Good. This was the first inspection since the service re-registered as a new legal entity in December 2015.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe and could speak to staff. Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs.
“People told us they felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff were observed listening, chatting and supporting people warmly. Privacy was respected during personal care.
“Throughout the day we observed staff interacted with people in a warm and friendly way.” from the report
Personalised daily life
People could choose when to get up and go to bed, where to spend time and which activities to join. Staff aimed to follow individual preferences.
“People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives.” from the report
Good health and nutrition support
People's weight and dietary needs were monitored. Staff arranged healthcare appointments and acted when people became unwell.
“Staff monitored people's healthcare needs and made referrals to other healthcare professionals where appropriate.” from the report
Some care plans were not fully up to date
needs fixingSome people needed more care than when they first moved in, but their care plans did not fully show their current needs. The manager agreed to increase monitoring so records of care were easier to follow.
“Some people who had lived in the home for several years now needed more care. Their care plan had not been fully up-dated to reflect their current needs.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure care plans are updated promptly when someone's needs change?
- 02How do staff find the most up-to-date information about each person's care?
- 03How do you check that planned care has been delivered and recorded clearly?
- 04How are people's food preferences and any disagreements about meals handled?
- 05How do you make sure activities continue when the usual activity worker is unavailable?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five questions, with the inspection completed over visits on 16 and 20 February 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 March 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 Dunster Lodge Residential Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Dunster Lodge Residential Home →
- March 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Dunster Lodge Residential Home →
- November 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 27 November 2015.
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.
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