CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Vicarage
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found comprehensive risk assessments, safe medicines systems, suitable infection control and effective staff recruitment. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and changes in people's wellbeing.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated during this inspection. The report says the inspection focused on Safe and Well-led.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated during this inspection. Inspectors did observe caring and supportive relationships and kind, compassionate care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not rated during this inspection. The report says people were supported to make choices and take part in activities suited to them.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found visible and approachable leadership, effective checks on quality and safety, regular contact with families and a culture focused on learning and improvement.
What inspectors found, May 2023
The Vicarage is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with effective leadership.
This was an announced inspection on 13 April 2023. One inspector spoke with five people and five staff, observed care, reviewed care and staff records, and checked quality and safety audits.
The home supports up to six adults with learning disabilities. All six places were occupied. Inspectors found that staff knew people well, understood their risks and supported them to make choices and take part in activities.
Medicines, infection control, staff recruitment and risk management were found to be safe. Inspectors also found caring relationships, regular contact with families and effective systems for checking and improving the service.
The overall rating was Good. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. This inspection did not give new ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive.
People feel safe
Staff knew people well and could recognise when someone was worried or unhappy. Inspectors observed relaxed and positive body language when people interacted with staff.
“their body language while interacting with staff was relaxed and positive, which indicated they felt safe.” from the report
Good risk management
Risk assessments covered the support provided. People were involved in understanding and managing risks, using information presented in ways they could understand.
“There were comprehensive risk assessments in place covering all aspects of the service and support provided.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors found that staff treated people with kindness and compassion. The home's approach promoted individuality, rights and independence.
“Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive. Staff provided care that was kind and compassionate.” from the report
Strong leadership
The manager was visible and approachable. Quality checks, staff support and regular reviews helped the home maintain and improve care.
“Governance processes were effective and helped to hold staff to account, keep people safe, protect people's rights and provide good quality care and support.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you involve my relative in assessing risks and developing their support plan, including if they communicate without words?
- 02How often will my relative's medicines be reviewed, and how will you check for unwanted effects?
- 03How will you make sure staff notice and respond to changes in my relative's behaviour, health or emotional wellbeing?
- 04How will you keep families informed about changes to care and support?
- 05What activities and opportunities will you offer to support my relative's choices, independence and meaningful daily life?
This was an inspection of Safe and Well-led only, including infection prevention and control; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not newly rated and the previous overall rating from 2018 remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 May 2023 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, April 2018
The Vicarage rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care and improved medicines management, but asked for infection control procedures to be reviewed.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 15 February 2018. Inspectors spoke with all the people using the home, two staff and the provider. They observed daily interactions and reviewed care files, medicines records, staff files, training records and management documents.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff knew people well and supported choice, independence, activities, health care and communication needs.
Medicines were safer than at the previous inspection in November 2015. Storage, recording and administration had improved. The home was clean and well maintained, but inspectors recommended reviewing infection control because staff did not use protective equipment during cleaning and cloth hand towels could increase the risk of cross-contamination.
Improved medicines management
The home had improved how medicines were stored, recorded and given since the previous inspection. Staff training and regular checks were in place.
“At this inspection, we found improvements to the ways in which medicines were stored, recorded and administered had been implemented.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw warm, respectful interactions. People said staff listened to them, supported their choices and respected their privacy.
“People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff spent time with each person discussing their care and supporting them to make decisions.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to take part in cooking, cleaning, hobbies and community activities. Some people were assessed as able to go out independently, with risks managed.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, risks, health needs and communication methods. Staff used different ways to communicate with people who had limited verbal communication.
“Care plans had detailed information about how people communicated and how staff should interact with them.” from the report
Infection control practice
needs fixingInspectors saw staff cleaning without gloves or aprons. Cloth towels were also used by bathroom basins, which inspectors said could increase the risk of cross-infection or cross-contamination. They recommended reviewing the policy and practice.
“However staff were observed undertaking cleaning duties without wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to infection control since the inspection?
- 02Do staff now use gloves and aprons when cleaning, and how is this checked?
- 03What arrangements are now in place instead of cloth towels in bathrooms?
- 04How do you help each person understand what their medicines are for and become as independent as possible with them?
- 05How are people's views and minor concerns collected now that the grumbles book was not successful?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, and it found that the previous overall Good rating had not changed. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 April 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 Vicarage
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Location report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- 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.
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17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon
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 £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.
“She is such a warm and gentle person while being professional and competent at the same time.”
“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.”
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.