CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Meadows
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and risk management, medicines were recorded safely, and recruitment checks had been completed.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant training and worked with health and social care professionals. People had choices about food, and staff understood dietary needs and consent requirements.
- Caring?
- Good
- Inspectors found the service exceptionally caring. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and were supported to make choices and develop independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People could follow familiar routines, use communication tools and take part in activities they enjoyed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff described approachable management and an open culture. Audits, surveys, feedback and reviews of incidents were used to monitor and improve the service.
What inspectors found, October 2019
The Meadows was rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred short-break care, with no breaches.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 22 August 2019. One inspector spoke with four people, six staff and two relatives. They reviewed four people's care records, medicine records and other records.
The home provides short stays and respite care for up to 12 adults with a learning disability and/or autism. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated with kindness and supported to make choices. Staff understood people's needs, communication methods and routines.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The Caring section said the service was exceptionally caring, although its formal rating was Good. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection, published in January 2017.
Kind and respectful support
People and relatives were very positive about how staff treated them. Staff took time to understand people's backgrounds, needs and routines.
“People and their relatives were all extremely positive about how staff treated and supported people with person centred care.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were offered choices about their routines, food, activities and where they spent their time. Staff used a least restrictive approach and supported independence.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff understood they should support them in the least restrictive way possible” from the report
Good understanding of communication
Staff knew how people communicated and used tools such as Makaton, visual aids, communication passports and accessible documents.
“There were various methods in use to enhance communication with people.” from the report
Trained and supported staff
Staff received regular training, competency checks, induction and supervision. Inspectors found them knowledgeable and confident in their roles.
“Staff received regular and appropriate training and were able to demonstrate they were knowledgeable and skilled.” from the report
Activities and familiar routines
People could continue routines from home and take part in activities such as crafts, drama and sensory activities. Staff also supported people to access the community.
“People told us they enjoyed their time at the Meadows with comments including, "I play games and use the sensory room", "I do crafts and drama” from the report
Larger than current guidance
minorThe home was registered for 12 people, which inspectors said was larger than current best-practice guidance. They said the building, space and short-stay model helped reduce any negative impact.
“The size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design offering a range of high-quality facilities” from the report
- 01How will you assess my relative's needs and risks before their first stay, and how will you respond if those needs change?
- 02Which communication methods, routines and preferences will staff record and use during the stay?
- 03What choices and activities will my relative be able to make or join, including community activities?
- 04How will medicines be managed, and how will you support any independence with taking them?
- 05How will you keep me informed about changes in my relative's health, care plan or medication?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, including both the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 October 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.
What inspectors found, January 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, but people's decision-making rights were not always protected.
The inspection visit took place on 13 December 2016. The report says in one section that it was announced, but the background section says it was unannounced. One inspector spoke with three people, two relatives and staff, and reviewed care records, staff files and the home's quality checks.
The home provided respite care for people with learning disabilities. Eight people were using it at the time, and it was registered for up to 12 people. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine support, individual risk assessments and kind, respectful care.
People were involved in their care plans, meals, activities and building improvements. Staff training, health care support and management systems were also viewed positively. However, mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions were not always completed, and not everyone's liberty had been assessed.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led were all rated Good, although the report specifically says the service was not always effective because of the problems with the Mental Capacity Act.
Safe staffing and risk planning
Inspectors found enough staff and individual plans to reduce risks. Staffing levels were adjusted when people's needs required extra support.
“There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People said staff knew them well and respected their privacy, dignity and choices. Staff also supported independence and access to advocacy when needed.
“Staff were kind and caring and treated people respectfully.” from the report
Personalised support
People helped create their care plans in an easy-read format. Staff used handovers and updated records to reflect changes in people's needs.
“People had been involved in developing their own care plans.” from the report
Positive management
Staff felt supported by managers. Audits were used to identify improvements, and inspectors saw that required actions had been completed.
“The provider had effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the care people received.” from the report
Mental capacity and liberty checks
needs fixingWhere people could not consent to care, the required capacity assessments and best-interest decisions had not always been completed. Not everyone's liberty had been assessed when movement was restricted.
“This meant people's rights had not been protected.” from the report
- 01How do you now complete and review mental capacity assessments and best-interest decisions?
- 02How do you check whether restrictions on a person's movement amount to a deprivation of liberty?
- 03How are people supported to consent to their care plans, or to record why they cannot consent?
- 04How are staffing levels adjusted when a person's needs mean they require support from more than one member of staff?
- 05What activities and day service opportunities are now available following the building modernisation?
This inspection considered all five CQC questions and included discussions with people, relatives and staff, reviews of care and staff records, and checks of the home's quality monitoring systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 January 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 Meadows
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 December 2010.
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
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How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Stoke-on-Trent
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 £1,190 a week. 93 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
“She's shown compassion, patience and a level of understanding that no other carer has given.”
“She maintained a great environment for mum both with the tidiness and cleanliness of the house and Mum and with her caring and understanding attitude.”
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.