CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Sunset Cottage
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, with suitable risk assessments, safeguarding training and enough staff. Medicines records were complete, but information about medicines was not kept alongside the medicines records.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and care was delivered by trained, supported staff. People received help with food, healthcare and important decisions, although oral health guidance was not yet included in support plans.
- Caring?
- Good
- People said staff were kind and caring, and inspectors saw friendly and respectful support. People were involved in decisions and encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support plans were personalised, easy to read and regularly updated. People were supported with communication, relationships, interests, activities and complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The service had clear leadership, regular checks and a culture of listening and improvement. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about communication and the management team.
What inspectors found, March 2020
Sunset Cottage was rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some medicines and oral health records to improve.
Inspectors visited on 10 January 2020. They spent three days inspecting three services run by the provider, including this home. They spoke with people living there, staff, relatives and managers, and checked care, medicines, staff records and management systems.
The five people living there were supported by a stable and well-trained staff team. Inspectors found the home clean, comfortable and safe. People were supported to make choices, build independence, take part in activities, work or volunteer, and stay involved in their local community.
Care plans were detailed and regularly reviewed. Staff understood people's needs and worked with health professionals. The home had good systems for safeguarding, staffing, complaints and service improvement.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection, published in July 2017.
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, learn skills and take part in everyday tasks. The home offered activities, work and volunteering that reflected people's interests.
“People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.” from the report
Kind staff
People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Inspectors saw friendly support and respect for people's privacy and dignity.
“We saw staff working alongside people in a caring and friendly manner. People were smiling and happy.” from the report
Strong staffing
There was a stable staff group, with enough staff to support people's needs and planned activities. Recruitment checks included the views of people living in the home.
“There was a stable staff group and a low staff turnover.” from the report
Personalised support
Each person had a detailed support plan in a format they could understand. Staff knew people's preferences and adjusted support when someone became distressed.
“The support plans were detailed, easy to read, regularly reviewed and updated.” from the report
Activities and community life
People had many opportunities to garden, care for animals, cook, attend clubs, volunteer and spend time in their local community.
“Sunset Cottage offers people a wide range of opportunities to lead an active and fulfilling life.” from the report
Medicines information
needs fixingInformation about medicines, including risks, side effects and instructions for medicines given when needed, was stored separately from the medicines records. Staff knew where to find it, but it was not readily available while giving medicines.
“Although staff knew where to find this information it was not readily available to staff while they were supporting people with their medicines.” from the report
Oral health plans
minorStaff supported people with dental care and kept records of dental visits. However, support plans did not yet include guidance about oral health, although the provider said plans would be written soon.
“Support plans did not contain guidance on oral health, but the provider and staff told us oral health plans would be drawn up in the near future.” from the report
- 01Has the information about medicine risks, side effects and medicines given when needed been moved to the medicines records?
- 02Have oral health plans now been added to each person's support plan?
- 03How many staff are normally available at this home, and how is cover arranged when staff work across the four homes?
- 04How are people involved in reviewing their support plans and choosing new staff?
- 05How do you make sure activities, work and volunteering continue to match each person's interests and goals?
This was a planned inspection covering all five key questions and the care and premises at this home, but some administrative and management systems were reviewed across four services, while only three services were inspected at that time. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 March 2020 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 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with strong support for independence and community life.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 20 June 2017. One inspector observed people and staff, spoke with people, staff and professionals, reviewed all five people's support plans and checked medicines, risk assessments, staffing records, policies, the building and grounds.
The home supported five young adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with dignity and supported by enough trained staff. Medicines were managed safely, risks were assessed, and people's healthcare, food and communication needs were supported.
People had personalised plans and chose activities, hobbies and daily tasks. Inspectors saw a positive atmosphere, caring relationships and support for independence. The home had clear leadership, regular audits, secure records and systems for acting on feedback.
The home was rated Good in every area: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means inspectors found the service met the required standards at the time of this inspection.
Positive culture
The home had clear values and an open culture. People and staff were encouraged to share their views and suggest improvements.
“People, staff and others were encouraged to give their views on what worked well at the service and what could be improved.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored securely and records showed they were given as prescribed. Errors were reviewed and action was taken to reduce the chance of them happening again.
“People received their medicines safely as prescribed. Any errors were audited and actions taken to reduce any risk of re-occurrence.” from the report
Personalised support
Plans included people's needs, goals and aspirations. Weekly activity programmes helped people know what they would be doing and who would support them.
“People received individualised and carefully thought out support, based on an assessment and knowledge of their needs, wishes and aspirations, and included in a plan of their care.” from the report
Caring relationships
Inspectors saw staff being compassionate, respectful and attentive. Staff adapted communication and gave people time to make choices.
“We saw staff were supportive, compassionate and caring in their relationships with people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you currently assess and support each person's individual staffing needs, including one-to-one support during periods of anxiety?
- 02How are seizure, choking and other health risks currently recorded, reviewed and explained to new staff?
- 03How are people currently involved in writing and reviewing their support plans, activity programmes and personal goals?
- 04How do you adapt communication so that each person can understand choices and has enough time to respond?
- 05What improvements have been made since this inspection, and how do you show that feedback from people and families has led to change?
This was an unannounced inspection of all five areas of the service, using observation, discussions, records and a review of the building and grounds. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 July 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.
Every inspection of Sunset Cottage
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 April 2016.
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
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.”
“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.”
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.