CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Portobello Place
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Portobello Place rated Good; inspectors found exceptionally responsive, person-centred care, with some staffing concerns.
This was the home’s first inspection since it registered. It was unannounced and took place on 31 January and 7 February 2023. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals, and reviewed care records, medicines records and management documents.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led were rated Good. Responsive was rated Outstanding. Inspectors found that people were treated with kindness, supported to make choices, and given care based on their individual needs.
The strongest findings were about personalised support and improving people’s wellbeing. Examples included specialist lighting, exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease, support with eating, a varied activity programme and ways to help people remain independent. Inspectors also found some mixed feedback about staffing, including agency staff use and deployment on the top floor.
Personalised care
Staff took time to understand people’s needs and used this knowledge to improve their care and quality of life.
“Staff took time to understand people's individual needs and used that to improve their care and outcomes.” from the report
Innovative support
The home used practical ideas and technology to help people settle, reduce falls and remain independent.
“The provider invested is a research-based lighting system which imitated the sun whilst indoors and had been proven to improve people's well-being.” from the report
Food and mealtimes
People had varied food choices, flexible mealtimes and support to eat and drink enough. Their feedback was used to improve meals.
“Mealtimes were set to suit people's needs and were not rushed.” from the report
Dignity and independence
People were treated respectfully and supported to do what they could for themselves, with help available when needed.
“They let me do what I still can whilst they are at hand to help if needed.” from the report
Learning and improvement
The management team reviewed incidents and falls to identify causes and introduce changes that improved safety.
“There was ample evidence that learning from incidents was a key contributor to continuous improvement.” from the report
Staffing and deployment
needs fixingRelatives gave mixed views about staffing. Some reported rushed care, agency staff and occasions when staff had to move between floors, although inspectors saw enough staff on the day.
“On the day of the inspection we saw there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs, however, staff deployment could be improved on the top floor of the home.” from the report
- 01What staffing levels are planned for each floor, especially during busy periods on the top floor?
- 02How much agency staff is currently being used, including at weekends, and how are regular staff relationships maintained?
- 03What changes have been made to staff deployment since the inspection, and how do you check that they are working?
- 04How would you support my relative’s specific health needs, independence and preferred daily routine?
- 05How are family members involved in care reviews, complaints and decisions about changing care?
This was the first comprehensive inspection of the newly registered home, covering all five key questions and infection prevention and control. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 March 2023 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 Portobello Place
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- December 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 December 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.
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89 live-in carers within about an hour of Buckinghamshire
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 £1,300 a week. 79 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.
“We can all fully relax around Nyarai and she feels like part of our family, which is no mean feat!”
“She was v competent and confident and we felt our mum was safe in her care. She supported us through a difficult time.”
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.