CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Swimbridge House Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People and relatives said they felt safe, and inspectors found staff available to meet needs in a timely way. Recruitment checks, safeguarding arrangements, premises maintenance, risk assessments and medicines management were described as effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's health, nutrition and care needs were understood and met. Staff received induction, training, supervision and support, and the home followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, compassionate and respectful. Inspectors saw unhurried, person-centred care, with people's choices, dignity and family relationships supported.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed and based on in-depth assessments of people's needs, wishes and histories. People were offered meaningful activities, support with communication and trips using the home's transport.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found strong leadership, good communication and staff who felt valued and supported. Quality checks covered areas including cleanliness, accidents, infections and people's views.
What inspectors found, January 2019
Swimbridge House Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with dementia-friendly adaptations still a work in progress.
Inspectors visited on 2 and 3 January 2019 without giving notice. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff, the manager and the provider. They reviewed care and medicines records, recruitment files and how the home was managed. They also observed people who could not communicate easily.
They found that people felt safe and received kind, respectful care. Staff were available, medicines were managed properly, health needs were met and people's food and activities were suited to their needs. Care plans contained detailed information about each person.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This was the same rating as at the previous inspection. Inspectors found no serious risks or concerns from this inspection or their ongoing monitoring.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe, and inspectors saw staff responding to people's needs promptly.
“Observation showed that staff were available to meet people's needs in a timely manner.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff took time with people, listened to their views and supported their dignity and independence.
“We saw that people were treated with respect.” from the report
Detailed personal information
Care plans included people's personal histories, preferences and important care needs, helping staff understand how to support them.
“Each person had a comprehensive care plan, following an in-depth assessment of their needs.” from the report
Meaningful activities and outings
People were offered activities linked to their interests, as well as trips to community events, visits and family occasions.
“Ernie took residents out 26 times, benefitting 21 different residents in the last six months.” from the report
Strong quality monitoring
The home used checks and reports at different levels to monitor care, safety and people's views.
“A comprehensive quality monitoring system ensured standards of service and safety were promoted.” from the report
Dementia-friendly adaptations were limited
minorThe home had some pictorial signs, but inspectors said the building had not yet been fully adapted for people living with dementia. The provider was considering how to improve this.
“Although there was some pictorial signage, adaptation to meet the needs of people living with dementia, was limited.” from the report
- 01What dementia-friendly changes have been made since this inspection, and what further changes are planned?
- 02How does the building work and new lift affect residents' daily lives and safety?
- 03How many permanent staff are currently in place, and how often is agency staff used?
- 04How are people's care plans and medicines records kept up to date?
- 05How are residents and relatives able to raise concerns or suggest improvements?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC questions, and the ratings remained unchanged from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 January 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 Swimbridge House Nursing Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Swimbridge House Nursing Home →
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015Inspected but not ratedSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 August 2013.
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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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.