CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at St Benedicts Nursing Home Limited
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control. This included visits, protective equipment, testing, cleaning, admissions and plans for managing outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This question was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 9 March 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors were assured that the home had safe arrangements for visitors, including temperature checks, health questions, hand cleaning, protective equipment and COVID lateral flow tests. Visits were booked in advance, and visiting areas were provided.
The home had plans for isolation, staff testing and cleaning. Inspectors also saw regular checks on protective equipment and cleaning. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Visitor safety
Visitors were screened, given protective equipment and required to take a lateral flow test before visiting. Visits were planned and booked in advance.
“Visitors were required to have their temperature checked and to confirm their current health status.” from the report
Infection control checks
The home had cleaning schedules and records. Managers carried out regular audits and acted when staff did not follow required practices.
“Regular audits and checks were completed by the management team.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The home used isolation, cohorting and zoning plans. New admissions were isolated for 14 days.
“Isolating, cohorting and zoning plans were used to manage the spread of infection.” from the report
Communication with relatives
Relatives received regular updates about changes to visiting arrangements and what the home expected from visitors.
“The operations manager communicated changes and provided updates for relatives on a regular basis.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How have your visiting arrangements changed since the inspection, including temperature checks, protective equipment and lateral flow testing?
- 02How do you reduce infection risks for people living with dementia when social distancing is not always possible?
- 03What arrangements are currently used to isolate new residents and manage an infection outbreak?
- 04How often are staff and residents tested, and what happens when cleaning or protective equipment practices are not followed?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control only; the service was inspected but not rated on the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 March 2021 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, July 2019
St Benedicts Nursing Home Limited was rated Good; inspectors found people felt safe and well cared for, but some medicines, reporting and recruitment checks needed improvement.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 25 June 2019. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led because concerns had been raised about possible physical abuse. They spoke with people, relatives, managers and staff, and checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files and management records.
The concerns about physical abuse were not substantiated. People said they felt safe. The home was clean and well maintained, staff were seen to respond promptly to call bells, and medicines were generally administered safely. The home had systems for safeguarding, risk management, staffing and infection control.
Inspectors found some weaknesses. Two incidents involving unexplained bruising had not been reported to the local safeguarding team in a timely way. Some medicines records were incomplete, emollient risks had not been understood by staff, recruitment checks were not always thorough, and some emergency evacuation plans lacked detail. The overall rating remained Good. The Safe rating improved from Requires Improvement, while Well-led remained Good.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors they felt safe. Inspectors found no evidence that the concerns about physical abuse were substantiated.
“People told us they felt safe and protected living at St Benedict's Care Home Limited.” from the report
Clean and maintained
The home was clean, tidy and well maintained. Infection control systems and equipment checks were in place.
“The home was clean, tidy and well presented.” from the report
Prompt call bell responses
Staffing arrangements were described as sufficient, and inspectors saw call bells being answered promptly.
“Our observations during the inspection were that call bells were answered promptly.” from the report
Supportive management
People, relatives and staff gave positive feedback about the management team. Staff said they felt supported and listened to.
“Staff told us they felt supported, valued and listened to by the management team.” from the report
Medicines records had gaps
needs fixingSome records did not show when people had refused medicines, and allergies were not always recorded on medicine charts. Staff were also asked to make the location of topical medicine records clearer.
“we found some gaps where staff should have signed to confirm the person had refused their medicines.” from the report
Emollient risks were not understood
needs fixingStaff were not aware of the risks linked to administering emollient creams to two people. The provider completed a risk assessment and promised extra training.
“Two people had been prescribed emollient creams but staff were not aware of the risks when administering emollient creams.” from the report
Recruitment checks were incomplete
needs fixingReferences were not always from previous care employers, and gaps in employment histories were not always fully investigated.
“gaps in staff's employment history were not always fully explored.” from the report
Emergency plans lacked detail
needs fixingPersonal emergency evacuation plans were in place but did not always explain how people would respond to a fire alarm or what support they would need to leave safely.
“Although the current PEEPs would benefit from further details being added” from the report
- 01What action have you taken since the inspection to make sure unexplained bruising and other incidents are reported promptly?
- 02How do you now check that medicine charts record refusals, allergies and the use of topical medicines?
- 03What extra training has been given about the risks of emollient creams, and how is staff understanding checked?
- 04How do you make sure employment gaps and references are fully checked before staff start work?
- 05Have the personal emergency evacuation plans been updated with the extra details identified by inspectors?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 July 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 St Benedicts Nursing Home Limited
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at St Benedicts Nursing Home Limited →
- July 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at St Benedicts Nursing Home Limited →
- August 2018GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- February 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 February 2017.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
76 live-in carers within about two hours of Somerset
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 £1,370 a week. 62 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“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.”
“She was not phased by anything, she was adaptable, kind & gave us complete confidence to go away & not worry about a thing!”
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.