CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Minster
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with care plans not yet in an accessible format.
Inspectors carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 5 January 2018. They spoke with five people living at the home and six staff members. They observed care and checked care records, medicines records, staff files, safety records, complaints and other management records.
The home was supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism and physical disabilities. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with kindness and supported to make choices. Staff understood people's needs, supported community activities and used detailed risk and care plans.
The service was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. It had also been rated Good at the previous inspection, and inspectors found no serious risks or concerns.
Carefully managed risks
The home used detailed risk assessments and care plans to protect people while allowing them to try new activities and take positive risks.
“Staff undertook comprehensive risk assessments and developed plans designed to keep people safe with minimum restriction.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw people looking relaxed and comfortable with staff. Staff respected privacy and supported people in ways that matched their communication needs.
“All staff demonstrated warmth, friendliness, respect and concern for people they supported.” from the report
Personalised activities
People were supported to follow their interests, go into the community and try different activities.
“People were able to take part in a wide range of activities reflecting their hobbies and interests.” from the report
Improved staff stability
The report says staff turnover fell substantially after changes in management, and the home no longer needed agency staff.
“As a result, the turnover of staff had reduced from 80% including agency staff to 20% with no need for agency staff.” from the report
Care plans were not accessible
minorThe care plans contained useful information but were not written in a format that people living at the home could easily access. The manager said picture-based plans were planned.
“However, care plans were not written in a format which was accessible to people living at the home.” from the report
Occasional staff shortages
minorStaff said numbers could sometimes be lower because of sickness or childcare problems. They told inspectors this did not affect the quality of care during the inspection.
“Staff told us that occasionally they could be low on numbers due to unplanned staff absence such as sickness or childcare.” from the report
- 01Have the planned picture-based care plans now been introduced, and how do you check that each person can understand and use their plan?
- 02How do you cover shifts when staff are unexpectedly absent because of sickness or childcare?
- 03How do you record and review people's communication preferences, especially when they do not communicate verbally?
- 04How do you make sure people continue to choose their activities, routines, meals and personal care arrangements?
- 05How do you monitor the continued reduction in restrictive interventions and respond if someone becomes distressed?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with the overall Good rating remaining unchanged from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 March 2018 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 Minster
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 June 2014.
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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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.