CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at In Caring Hands St Austell
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective safeguarding, risk assessments, emergency plans, safe recruitment and enough familiar staff. Medicines and COVID-19 infection control were also found to be managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had training and competency checks for complex needs, including epilepsy, diabetes, feed pumps and breathing equipment. People's eating, drinking, healthcare and consent needs were assessed and supported.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported people to make daily choices, maintain independence and communicate in ways that worked for them.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's individual needs, routines and preferences. Staff offered activities, supported relationships and used communication books to keep families informed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found clear management arrangements, regular audits and an open approach to feedback and concerns. Managers worked with families, staff and healthcare professionals to improve care.
What inspectors found, June 2021
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with strong staff training and management.
This was the first inspection since the service registered. One inspector visited on 25 May 2021, spoke with managers and care staff, met two people, reviewed three care records and other documents, and later spoke with healthcare professionals and relatives.
The home provides short-term respite care for up to four younger adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex health needs. It also provides personal care in some people's homes. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated with dignity, and supported to make choices.
Care plans were detailed, accurate and regularly reviewed with people and their families. Staff were trained to support complex health needs, including epilepsy, diabetes and specialist equipment. Infection control measures were updated for COVID-19, and medicines, staffing and safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspectors found consistently good care at the time of the inspection, although Good is not the highest rating.
Personalised support
Care plans included detailed guidance about people's needs, communication and routines. Staff knew people well and provided individualised support.
“Care plans were accurate and kept under regular review, with the involvement of the person and their family.” from the report
Respect and choice
People were supported to control their daily routines and choose activities. Staff respected their privacy, dignity and independence.
“People were supported to be as independent as possible and have control over their lives.” from the report
Skilled staff
Staff received relevant training and regular competency checks for complex health needs and specialist equipment. New staff were supervised before working independently.
“Staff were appropriately trained, and their competency regularly checked, to carry out specific tasks such as using feed pumps, cough assist machines and machines to monitor people's breathing at night.” from the report
Safe staffing
Relatives and staff said there were enough staff. Each person had a specifically allocated staff member during respite stays, and the home did not use agency staff.
“The service did not use agency staff. Staff absences were covered by existing staff and management.” from the report
Open management
Families, staff and healthcare professionals described managers as approachable and responsive. Audits and feedback were used to identify and make improvements.
“The management team carried out regular audits of care plans, medicines and observations of staff practice.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess whether you can meet my relative's specific health needs before their first respite stay?
- 02Which staff will be specifically allocated to support my relative, and how will you cover sickness or absence?
- 03How will you support my relative's particular communication needs and help them make choices?
- 04How often will you review my relative's care plan with our family, and how can we share changes from home?
- 05What arrangements are currently in place for visits and infection control, and how would these change during an outbreak?
This was a planned first inspection of the care home and domiciliary care service, covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control, with no previous ratings to carry over. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 June 2021 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 In Caring Hands St Austell
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- June 2021Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 April 2019.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
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What to check when you visit
10 live-in carers within about two hours of Cornwall
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 £980 to £1,200 a week. 8 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“He had been a little anxious before she arrived, but has since stated that he would be very happy for her to care for him again”
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.