Skip to content
The Care Home DirectoryEvery care home in England

CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at The New Careford Lodge Limited

Goodpublished 5 December 2019, 6 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People felt safe, staffing levels were adequate and staff had suitable safeguarding and recruitment processes. Medicines, infection control, equipment and individual risks were managed safely.
Effective?
Good
Staff were trained and care plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People's nutritional, healthcare, oral health and legal decision-making needs were supported.
Caring?
Good
Staff were kind, compassionate and respectful. People were involved in their care, supported to remain independent and treated with dignity.
Responsive?
Good
Care was personalised and adapted when people's needs changed. The home supported family contact, activities, communication needs, complaints and end of life care.
Well-led?
Good
The home had an open and accessible management style. Audits, meetings and feedback were used to monitor quality and plan improvements.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2019

The New Careford Lodge Limited was rated Good in all areas; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care with no breaches reported.

The unannounced inspection took place on 13 November 2019. One inspector spoke with eight people, three visitors and six staff. Records about care, medicines, recruitment and how the home was managed were also checked.

People told inspectors they felt safe and well cared for. Staff were described as friendly, kind and respectful. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practices, clean surroundings and suitable checks on risks.

People were supported to make choices, eat and drink safely, access healthcare and keep in touch with family and friends. Care plans reflected people's needs and staff responded when those needs changed.

All five areas were rated Good. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection, published on 24 May 2017.

What inspectors praised
  • People felt safe

    People told inspectors they felt safe, and the home had adequate staffing and systems to reduce the risk of abuse and avoidable harm.

    “People felt safe at the home.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors saw friendly and respectful relationships. People were supported to make choices, maintain privacy and keep as much independence as they wished.

    “People were supported by staff who were kind and compassionate.” from the report
  • Personalised support

    Care plans included people's preferences, routines and lifestyles. Staff adjusted support when people's health or wishes changed.

    “People received individualised care and support because staff knew them well and how they liked to be supported.” from the report
  • Activities and family contact

    Visitors were welcomed and people could keep in touch with friends and family. Activities were available every day, with one-to-one options for people who preferred them.

    “There were organised activities every day and informal one to one sessions for people who chose not to join in with organised activities.” from the report
  • Open management

    The manager was accessible to people, visitors and staff. The home used audits, meetings and surveys to monitor quality and make improvements.

    “The registered manager's office was situated by the main lounge area which made them easily accessible to people, visitors and staff.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How will you assess and update my relative's care plan if their needs or wishes change?
  2. 02What activities and one-to-one support would be available for my relative?
  3. 03How would you support my relative's particular eating, drinking, medicines or communication needs?
  4. 04How are families involved in care planning and decisions about changes at the home?
  5. 05What support would be available to my relative and our family at the end of their life?

This inspection looked at the overall quality of the care home, including care and the premises, and rated all five CQC questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 December 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, May 2017

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with a medicines storage temperature issue being addressed.

This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 25 April 2017. The inspector spoke with people living at the home, a relative and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicines, staffing and quality records.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and well cared for. Inspectors saw kind staff, enough staff to meet people's needs, good support with health and food, and choices about daily life and activities.

The home remained Good, as it was at the previous inspection in December 2014. Inspectors noted that medicine storage was above the recommended temperature, and the provider was looking for a different storage facility. They also said care plans were basic, although staff knew people's needs well.

What inspectors praised
  • Safe staffing

    Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs safely. People said staff responded quickly when they asked for help.

    “The provider used a dependency tool to make sure staffing levels were reflective of people's needs” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff were seen supporting people patiently and discreetly. People said staff helped them maintain independence, privacy and dignity.

    “Throughout the day we heard and saw kind and caring interactions between staff and people who lived at the home.” from the report
  • Choice and activities

    People could follow their preferred routines and choose whether to join in activities or spend time privately. An activities worker had been introduced since the previous inspection.

    “Since the last inspection the home had employed an activities worker to support people to take part in activities of their choosing” from the report
  • Good response to complaints

    The manager discussed complaints with people and took action to address the issues. Follow-up was used to check whether people were satisfied.

    “Where complaints had been made action had been taken to identify any shortfalls in the service and make sure the complainant was satisfied with the outcome.” from the report
  • Open management

    People and staff found the management approachable. Meetings allowed people to suggest changes, and quality checks were used to identify improvements.

    “The registered manager and provider promoted the ethos of honesty, learned from mistakes and admitted when things had gone wrong.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Medicine storage temperature

    needs fixing

    The medicine cupboard was above the recommended 25 degrees Celsius. Inspectors said this could reduce the effectiveness of some medicines, although the issue had been reported and alternative storage was being sought.

    “We noted that the cupboard where the medicines were kept was above the recommended 25 degrees centigrade which could reduce the effectiveness of some medicines.” from the report
  • Basic care plans

    minor

    The care plans inspected were described as basic. Inspectors relied partly on staff having strong knowledge of how people wanted to be supported.

    “Care plans we read were basic but due to the size of the home staff had an excellent knowledge of how people wanted to be supported.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Was the medicine cupboard moved or otherwise brought within the recommended temperature range, and how is this checked now?
  2. 02How do you make sure care plans contain enough detail about each person's needs, wishes and risks?
  3. 03What activities are available for people who do not want to join group activities?
  4. 04How are staffing levels adjusted when people's needs change?
  5. 05How are complaints recorded, followed up and used to improve care?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, and the report says the previous inspection in December 2014 found no concerns with the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 May 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of The New Careford Lodge Limited

3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. December 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at The New Careford Lodge Limited →

  2. May 2017Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at The New Careford Lodge Limited →

  3. January 2015Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. November 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. December 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. September 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. January 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 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.

Next steps

Weigh the report against the rest

Care at home

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.”
Holly C., about Dace L.
“She was not phased by anything, she was adaptable, kind & gave us complete confidence to go away & not worry about a thing!”
Karen C., about Mandy E.
See live-in carers near SomersetProfiles, rates and reviews are free to look at.

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.