Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Pinewood Residential Home

Requires improvementpublished 11 November 2024, 22 months ago

Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, October 2019

Rated Good overall, but inspectors found safety needed improvement, including medicine administration and conflicting care records.

This was an unannounced inspection on 6 and 7 August 2019. One inspector and an expert by experience spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They also observed care and checked care, medicine, staff and management records.

The home was rated Good overall. Effective, caring, responsive and well-led were all rated Good. Safe was rated Requires Improvement, which means some aspects were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety.

Inspectors found kind and respectful care, enough staff on duty, good activities, suitable food and support from health professionals. However, computerised and paper care records did not always match, and staff were interrupted during medicine rounds. The home had taken action, but improvements were still in progress.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful care

    People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff supported people at their own pace and helped them make everyday choices.

    “People were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and we saw this throughout the inspection.” from the report
  • Activities and social life

    The home offered daily activities, trips out and one-to-one support based on people's interests and wishes.

    “Activities took place within the home on a daily basis and included visiting musicians, exercise, arts and crafts, visiting birds of prey and visits from the 'library ladies', who brought people books.” from the report
  • Staffing and recruitment

    Inspectors saw enough staff on duty to meet people's needs. Recruitment checks were carried out to help prevent unsuitable staff being employed.

    “Throughout the inspection we observed there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people's needs and spend time socialising with them.” from the report
  • Open management

    The managers were visible, knew people well and encouraged people, relatives and staff to share their views.

    “The registered manager and provider were highly visible at the service.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Conflicting care records

    serious

    Paper and computerised records did not always give the same instructions about people's risks and care. This created a potential for staff error.

    “Although risks were well understood and managed by staff, there was a potential for error.” from the report
  • Interruptions during medicines

    serious

    The staff member giving medicines was interrupted by visitors and requests for help. The home told inspectors that staff had been reminded to use interruption-reducing tabards and follow the process.

    “The member of staff administering the medicines was unable to focus fully on the task because they were talking with visitors and responding to requests for staff support.” from the report
  • Incomplete care planning

    needs fixing

    Some computerised care plans lacked personal information or had reviews that were not complete. The home was sourcing a new system and using paper summaries in the meantime.

    “One care plan contained no information about the person's background and interests.” from the report
  • Quality checks had fallen behind

    needs fixing

    Some quality assurance checks and audits had not been completed on time. The home was catching up and reviewing its systems.

    “The focus on maintaining the staffing levels and safety of people over the previous 12 months meant the registered manager had fallen behind with some of the quality assurance checks and audits.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now make sure the paper and computerised care records contain the same risk information?
  2. 02What is your current process for preventing interruptions during medicine rounds?
  3. 03Has the new computerised care planning system been introduced, and are all care plans now complete and reviewed?
  4. 04Have the quality checks and audits that had fallen behind now been completed?
  5. 05How do you make sure agency and newly recruited staff know each person's risks, preferences and care needs?

This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the Safe rating falling from Good to Requires Improvement and the other ratings remaining Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, March 2017

Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, with some records and medicine guidance improved during the inspection.

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection over two visits on 18 and 30 January 2017. Inspectors spoke with people living there, visitors, staff and health professionals. They reviewed care records, medicine records, staff files, audits and meeting notes.

All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine systems, suitable training and kind treatment. People were involved in their care and had access to activities, food choices and healthcare.

Some improvements were made during the visits. Guidance for applying prescribed creams was restored, care plans for emotional and psychological needs were added where needed, and records of fluid intake were strengthened. A previous legal breach about inaccurate care records had been addressed.

What inspectors praised
  • Kind and respectful staff

    Inspectors saw warm and compassionate interactions. Staff supported people's dignity, choices and independence.

    “People were supported by kind and caring staff who treated them with warmth and compassion.” from the report
  • Enough staff

    Staffing arrangements had been changed so duties were shared more evenly. People said call bells were answered quickly.

    “There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe.” from the report
  • Activities and choice

    People could follow their interests and join activities or outings. Daily routines were flexible, including choices about getting up, going to bed and where to spend time.

    “People confirmed the daily routines were flexible and they were able to make decisions about the times they got up and went to bed” from the report
  • Open management

    The new manager was visible and approachable. People, relatives and staff had regular opportunities to give feedback and suggest changes.

    “There were regular opportunities for people and relatives to share their views.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Topical cream records

    serious

    Inspectors found that staff could not always record whether prescribed topical creams had been given because the information had been removed from the computer system. This was restored by the second visit.

    “Improvements were needed in relation to the administration of topical creams, as this was not always safe.” from the report
  • Emotional care plans

    needs fixing

    Care plans did not always cover people's emotional and psychological needs. The managers added the missing plans during the inspection and planned a wider care-record audit.

    “We discussed with the manager that there was not an emotional and psychological care plan for one person who was receiving end of life care.” from the report
  • Mental capacity records

    needs fixing

    Mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions were being completed, but the details were not yet captured on the computerised care system. The manager was working with the software company to improve this.

    “However this information was not captured on the computerised care system.” from the report
  • Some worn areas

    minor

    Some corridors were shabby and scuffed and needed decorating. The report says redecoration and other improvements were planned or already under way.

    “Some areas of the home such as corridors were shabby and scuffed and in need of decorating.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now check that prescribed topical creams are recorded and applied correctly?
  2. 02Have all people's emotional and psychological care plans been reviewed and kept up to date?
  3. 03How are mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions recorded now?
  4. 04What progress has been made with decorating the shabby and scuffed corridors?
  5. 05How will the new manager's improvement plan be monitored and shared with families?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall quality of the service. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Pinewood Residential Home

3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. October 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Pinewood Residential Home →

  2. March 2017Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Pinewood Residential Home →

  3. April 2015Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. April 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. August 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. January 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 4 January 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.

Next steps

Weigh the report against the rest

Care at home

17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon

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 £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.

“She is such a warm and gentle person while being professional and competent at the same time.”
Martin B., about Love B.
“She looked after my mum, who can be incredibly challenging, so well and so gently, and we always felt confident that my mum was getting the best care available.”
Holly C., about Dace L.
See live-in carers near DevonProfiles, 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.