CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Old Vicarage
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, up-to-date risk assessments, safe recruitment and safe medicines systems. The home was clean, equipment was maintained and emergency plans were in place.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and reviewed, and staff received relevant training. Some staff had not received supervision as frequently as required, but the home was addressing this.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect and were involved in decisions where possible. Most relatives were positive, although one relative felt the care was lacking.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences and communication needs, and people were supported with activities, outings and relationships. Some care plan reviews had not happened regularly earlier in the year, and the activity range was still being developed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was well run and used audits and action plans to monitor quality. Temporary changes in management had caused some confusion among staff, but inspectors said this had not affected people using the service.
What inspectors found, August 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with some improvements still needed in staff supervision, care plan reviews and activities.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 10 and 11 July 2019. One inspector spoke with people living in the home, staff, managers and relatives. They also reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable care plans, kind support and regular checks on quality.
There were some areas to improve. Some staff supervision had not happened as often as required, some care plan reviews had been late, and more meaningful activities were being developed. Some communal areas also needed refreshing.
The previous inspection rating was Good, published on 15 March 2017, and all five ratings remained Good.
People were safe
Inspectors found safeguards, risk assessments, emergency plans and enough staff to protect people from avoidable harm.
“People were safe and protected from avoidable harm or abuse at The Old Vicarage.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans recorded what mattered to people, including their preferences, communication needs and what they could do independently.
“People had care plans which were personalised and identified what was important to them.” from the report
Choice and community life
People could choose whether to join activities and outings, and were supported to maintain family relationships and take part in community activities.
“One person regularly attended a work placement in the local community which they enjoyed.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The provider used audits and action plans to identify improvements and monitor risks and care quality.
“Systems were in place to monitor and review quality and performance and to ensure risks were well managed.” from the report
Staff supervision was not always regular
needs fixingSome staff had not received supervision as often as the provider required. The home said this was being addressed.
“Some staff had not recently received supervision at the frequency required by the provider, however this was being addressed” from the report
Some care plan reviews were late
needs fixingSome care plans had not been reviewed regularly earlier in the year. This had been identified through audits and an action plan was in place.
“some care plans had not been reviewed regularly earlier in the year” from the report
Activities were still being developed
minorPeople had activities and outings, but staff and managers recognised that more varied and individual activities were needed.
“A plan was in place to further develop activities which were meaningful to the individual.” from the report
Some communal areas needed refreshing
minorInspectors said some hallways and other communal areas would benefit from refurbishment. A plan was in place to decorate them.
“Some communal areas, such as hallways, would benefit from refurbishment to make them more homely.” from the report
Temporary management changes caused confusion
minorRecent changes in the management team had led to differences in approach and some confusion among staff. Inspectors said this had not affected people using the service.
“This had brought about differences in approach and led to some confusion within the staff team.” from the report
- 01How often do staff now receive supervision, and how do you check that it happens as required?
- 02How do you make sure each person's care plan is reviewed on time?
- 03What new individual activities are now available, and how do you match them to each person's interests?
- 04What refurbishment has been completed in the communal areas since the inspection?
- 05How are people's preferences about serious illness, death and funeral arrangements recorded and reviewed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the care home premises and care provided both looked at. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 August 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, March 2017
The Old Vicarage is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some medicine records needing improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection. The report gives two dates for the visit, 03 February 2017 and 10 February 2017. One inspector met six people, spoke with staff and managers, observed care, and checked care records, training, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable training, detailed care plans and kind interactions. People were supported with their health, food, activities, choices and relationships.
At the previous inspection, incomplete training about challenging behaviour had breached Regulation 12. The provider's action plan had been completed, and staff had received the training by this inspection. Inspectors also found that some medicine administration charts had not been completed properly, and an action plan was in place.
Enough trained staff
Inspectors found enough suitably competent staff to keep people safe and support their activities. The previous gap in training about challenging behaviour had been addressed.
“People were supported by a sufficient number of suitably competent staff to keep them safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff used calm, warm and respectful approaches. They knew how people communicated and supported privacy and dignity.
“All of the staff that we observed supported people in a manner that was patient, caring and warm towards them.” from the report
Personalised care plans
Care plans included people's preferences, routines, relationships and support needs. They were reviewed and updated regularly.
“Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to make sure they were still an accurate guide about how to support each person.” from the report
Support to get out and about
People were supported to visit family, go shopping and attend community activities. The home increased staffing when people went out.
“There was evidence that people went out regularly with the support of staff.” from the report
Open management
Staff said they felt supported and able to share their views. The home monitored care through audits, meetings and management visits.
“This showed there was an open management culture.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What action was taken after the audit found that some medicine administration charts were incomplete?
- 02How do you check now that every medicine administration chart is completed correctly?
- 03How do you keep staff trained and confident when supporting people whose behaviour may challenge?
- 04How often are care plans reviewed, and how are relatives involved in those reviews?
- 05How do you make sure people can take part in community activities and keep in contact with family and friends?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led, with the report giving both 03 February 2017 and 10 February 2017 as inspection dates. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 March 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 Old Vicarage
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 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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40 live-in carers within about an hour of Bristol, City of
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 £1,300 a week. 34 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“She became a good friend to my mother in law, chatting with her, dancing with her, knitting with her and the list goes on”
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