CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Merrimore House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, and staffing levels and recruitment were considered safe. However, there was no medicine stock monitoring system at the time of inspection.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and goals were assessed and reviewed. Staff were trained and supported, and people were helped with their health, diet, independence and everyday choices.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were described as kind, caring and patient. Inspectors found positive relationships, dignity, respect and person-centred support.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support plans included people's needs, preferences and communication requirements. People could take part in activities, work and education, use the local community and maintain relationships with family and friends.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had quality checks, staff and residents' meetings, and a manager who understood their responsibilities. Actions were taken when audits identified issues.
What inspectors found, April 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with medicine stock checks still needing improvement.
This was a planned, announced inspection on 6 March 2019. One inspector spoke with all four people living at the home, a care worker and the registered manager. They also reviewed care records, medicine records, incident records, meeting notes and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they liked living there. Inspectors found that staff were kind, knew people well and supported their independence, health, activities and community links.
There was one identified shortfall in medicines management. Medicines were stored securely and records were completed correctly, but there was no system to check medicine stocks and confirm that medicines had been received as required. The manager said a monitoring system would be introduced.
Kind and respectful staff
People spoke positively about staff. Inspectors found that staff knew people well and had built meaningful relationships with them.
“Staff had developed positive, meaningful relationships with people and had a good rapport.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make everyday decisions, develop life skills and live as independently as possible.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible” from the report
Community involvement
People took part in activities, work and education, and some accessed the local community independently.
“People accessed their local community independently to engage in activities based on their individual interests.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's likes, dislikes, needs and communication requirements. Information around the home was available in easy-read and pictorial formats.
“People received individualised support which reflected their physical, mental and emotional needs.” from the report
Good leadership
The home had systems to monitor quality and acted on issues found through audits. People and staff could contribute through meetings.
“Processes were in place to monitor the quality of the services provided.” from the report
Medicine stock checks
needs fixingMedicines were secure and administration records were correct, but the home did not have a system to check medicine stocks and confirm that medicines had been received as required. The manager said this would be addressed.
“However, there was no system in place to check the stock of medicine and ensure that people had received their medicine as required.” from the report
- 01What medicine stock monitoring system was introduced after the inspection, and how often is it checked?
- 02How do you confirm that each person's medicines have been received as required?
- 03How are people involved in reviewing their support plans and setting personal goals?
- 04What activities, work or education opportunities could be available for my relative?
- 05How can residents and families raise concerns, and how are these followed up?
This was a planned, announced inspection covering the care provided and the premises, with all five CQC areas assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 April 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.
Every inspection of Merrimore House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 September 2011.
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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13 live-in carers within about an hour of Norfolk
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 £990 to £1,120 a week. 9 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
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.