CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Massenet
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed and managed, staffing levels met people's needs, recruitment checks were completed and medicines were managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received personalised support based on assessments of their needs. Staff were trained and supported, and people had help with food, healthcare, communication and independence.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff formed trusting relationships with people and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to express their views and make choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and communication methods. People were supported with activities, trips, hobbies, holidays and access to the local community.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The managers were visible and approachable. Regular audits, meetings and feedback systems were used to monitor care and make improvements.
What inspectors found, September 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with a small gap in the detail of some best-interest records.
This was a planned, unannounced inspection on 30 July 2019. Two inspectors and an expert by experience spoke with managers, staff, five relatives and healthcare professionals. They observed care and reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files, training records, complaints and quality checks.
The home supported seven people with learning disabilities or autism and complex support needs. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated kindly and supported to make choices. Staff understood people's needs, medicines were managed safely, and people were supported with food, healthcare, activities and communication.
The home had introduced Active Support since the previous inspection. This helped people take part in daily life and become more independent. The home was also described as well-led, with regular checks on safety and care quality.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The previous inspection, published in July 2017, had also rated the home Good.
Safe medicines support
Medicines were stored, given and monitored through organised systems. Only trained staff who had been assessed as competent administered them.
“Medicines systems were well organised, and people were receiving their medicines when they should.” from the report
Promoting independence
The home had introduced Active Support to help people take part in everyday activities instead of staff doing things for them.
“Active Support changes the style of support from 'caring for' to 'working with', it promotes independence and supports people to take an active part in their own lives.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw staff supporting people warmly and positively. Relatives also gave consistently positive feedback about the care.
“We observed numerous kind and caring interactions between staff and people.” from the report
Personalised activities
People were supported to enjoy activities and interests that mattered to them, including trips, hobbies, holidays and community activities.
“The service supported people to enjoy a range of activities and interests that were meaningful to them including trips out, engaging in hobbies and holidays away.” from the report
Strong oversight
Managers and the provider used audits, meetings and observations to check safety, staff practice and the quality of care.
“The service was reliably monitored to ensure safety and quality.” from the report
Some best-interest records needed more detail
minorInspectors found that records about some decisions made in people's best interests were more detailed than others. The manager agreed to record more information about other people's views.
“Some information recorded in the best interest process was more detailed for some decisions than others.” from the report
- 01How do you record people's views and the views of relatives and professionals in best-interest decisions?
- 02How is Active Support used in daily routines, and what changes has it made for people since the inspection?
- 03How do you check that staffing levels continue to provide the one-to-one or two-to-one support people need?
- 04How do you make sure each person's communication methods, such as pictures or objects, are used consistently?
- 05How are medicines reviewed, including efforts to reduce the use of antipsychotic medicines where appropriate?
This was a planned, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions; the report says all ratings remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 September 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
Massenet is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some changes still settling in.
This was an unannounced inspection on 16 January 2017. One inspector spoke with staff, managers, family members and a health and social care professional. They also observed care and checked care records, staff files, medicines, complaints, incidents and management records.
The home supported five people, with space for up to six. Inspectors found that people were safe, medicines were managed properly and staff had the skills and guidance to support complex needs. People were treated with kindness and respect, and received personalised activities and support to keep in touch with family.
The home had opened in April 2016 and had experienced management and staff changes. A new manager was applying to register with the CQC. Inspectors found that the provider and senior staff had kept the home stable while the service became established.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means inspectors found the service met the standards they checked, although they also noted some areas where practice could develop further.
Safe support
Staff understood people's risks and knew how to protect them from harm. Staffing arrangements allowed extra help to be brought in when needed.
“People were supported to stay safe and staff had the skills and guidance needed to effectively minimise risks to people.” from the report
Skilled staff
Staff received detailed induction, specialist training and regular support. The provider's clinical psychologist helped staff understand and respond to complex behaviour.
“Staff had access to specialist training and guidance.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw friendly relationships and found that staff treated people respectfully. Staff used individual communication methods to help people express themselves.
“People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect by staff who knew them well.” from the report
Personalised lives
People had detailed care plans and individual timetables. They were supported with activities, community trips, independence and family relationships.
“People were supported to have a good quality of life, which met their needs and preferences.” from the report
Communal areas were stark
minorThe shared areas had little colour, texture or decoration. Inspectors said the provider had not tried approaches such as murals that might have made these areas more suitable.
“There were no pictures or soft furnishings and staff told us these would be removed or destroyed by people at the service.” from the report
Management and staffing changes
minorThere was no registered manager in post during the inspection, and the home had experienced staff turnover. The report says the new manager was applying for registration and the staff team was becoming more established.
“A registered manager was not in post at the service.” from the report
- 01Has the manager who was applying for registration now become registered, and what management support is currently in place?
- 02How stable is the staff team now, following the high turnover mentioned in the report?
- 03How are people involved in developing the home when resident meetings are not practical?
- 04What changes have been made to the communal areas to add colour or texture while keeping people safe?
- 05How are medicine records checked, and what happens if staff make recording errors?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC areas and providing ratings for each one. 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 Massenet
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- September 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 May 2016.
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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Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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