CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Mead
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, December 2017
The Mead rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with good management and no reported breaches.
Inspectors visited without notice on 9 November 2017. They spoke with people living there, relatives and staff, and reviewed care plans, staff files, training records, complaints, audits and other documents.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable risk checks and appropriate staff training.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Their care was personalised, families were involved, activities were available, and managers used audits and feedback to improve the service. The home had also been rated Good at the previous inspection and remained Good.
Enough staff
Inspectors saw enough staff on duty to meet people's needs promptly. The home had not used agency staff for more than a year, supporting a consistent workforce.
“There were enough suitably experienced, skilled and qualified staff available at all times to meet people's needs safely and effectively.” from the report
Safe medicines
Staff were trained and assessed as competent to give medicines. Records were checked daily and medicines were included in audits.
“There were suitable arrangements for the safe storage and management of people's medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well, respected their choices and explained what they were doing during personal and mobility support.
“We observed kind unhurried support with lots of communication that helped people understand what was going to happen.” from the report
Personalised support and activities
Care plans gave staff clear, individual guidance. People could join group activities, one-to-one activities, family events and trips.
“Care plans were personalised and enabled staff to provide care and support in a person centred way.” from the report
Open management
People, relatives and staff were encouraged to share their views. The home used audits, surveys and action plans to identify and address improvements.
“The registered manager promoted an open, transparent and inclusive culture within the service.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you currently check that staffing levels remain enough for my relative's needs?
- 02How are my relative's medicines checked, and how will you tell us if there is a medicines error?
- 03How often will my relative's care plan and risks be reviewed, and can our family take part?
- 04What activities are available for someone with my relative's interests and abilities, including one-to-one activities?
- 05How can we raise a concern, and how will we be told what action has been taken?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions and the overall rating; the report says the previous rating was also Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 December 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 The Mead
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2017Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Hertfordshire
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 £980 to £1,300 a week. 82 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She handled the new situation in front of her with such professionalism and I felt I could trust her 100%.”
“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.