CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Plymbridge House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found sufficient staff, safe recruitment, effective risk management, safe medicines arrangements and suitable infection control.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had training and support to meet people's needs. People's capacity, choices, nutrition and access to health professionals were appropriately considered.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw staff treating people with dignity, respect and compassion.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were individualised, reviewed and adapted to people's changing needs. People were involved in care planning, activities and decisions about end of life care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found strong leadership, a positive culture and quality checks that helped identify improvements. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to give their views.
What inspectors found, January 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a system for renewing some liberty safeguards still being developed.
Inspectors visited on four days in November and December 2017. The first day was unannounced. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, and reviewed care records, medicines, recruitment, complaints and quality checks.
The home was caring, safe and well organised. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine arrangements, detailed risk assessments and good infection control. People were treated with kindness and respect, and were involved in decisions about their care.
Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. Staff supported people's health, nutrition, independence, activities and end of life wishes. The service had a positive management culture and used feedback, complaints and audits to improve.
The overall rating was Good, as were all five areas inspected. This was unchanged from the previous Good rating in August 2015.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors observed staff listening to people, respecting their wishes and supporting them discreetly.
“People and relatives all told us staff were kind and caring and feedback forms also confirmed this.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans covered people's routines, preferences, communication needs and independence. Staff knew how people preferred to receive their care.
“People had support plans in place which were individualised and encouraged choice.” from the report
Safe care
The home had suitable arrangements for staffing, medicines, safeguarding, risk management, fire safety and infection control.
“People had their medicines managed safely.” from the report
Support at the end of life
People's last wishes were recorded and staff worked with doctors, nurses and the hospice to support comfort and pain relief.
“They worked hard to ensure people who wished to remain at the home during their final days were able to, comfortable and pain free.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to take part in activities and everyday tasks, with options inside and outside the home.
“The activities on offer supported people to look forward to their day and remain active.” from the report
Renewing liberty safeguards
needs fixingSome people were subject to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Inspectors discussed the need to develop a system to check that authorisations were renewed, so people were not deprived of liberty unlawfully.
“We spoke with the registered manager about developing a system to ensure renewal of people's authorisations was developed to ensure the service was not depriving people of the liberty unlawfully.” from the report
Accessible information still developing
minorThe home was still developing its policies and procedures for giving information in accessible formats. The manager was also considering how to build this further into care information.
“Policies and procedures across the service were being developed to ensure information was given to people in accessible formats when required.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisations are renewed on time?
- 02How would you provide care information in an accessible format for someone with hearing, sight, communication or cognitive difficulties?
- 03How are care plans kept up to date when a person's health, preferences or risks change?
- 04How do you make sure there are enough skilled staff when there is sickness or an unexpected absence?
- 05How would you support my relative's end of life wishes, including pain relief and family involvement?
This was an overall inspection covering the care, accommodation and management of the service, and all five CQC questions were rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 January 2018 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 Plymbridge House
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 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.
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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Plymouth
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.
8 can care for a couple. 9 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.