CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Tremethick House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing and managing infection risks. They found suitable arrangements for visitors, testing, personal protective equipment, cleaning, admissions and isolation.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Requires improvement
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, November 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and no concerns about the response to COVID-19.
The CQC visited the home on 3 November 2020. This was an announced, targeted inspection during the coronavirus pandemic. It looked only at infection prevention and control.
Inspectors found that visitors were managed safely, including through a separate visitor room, masks and other protective equipment. The home had testing arrangements, safe admission procedures and an area for isolation.
The home was clean and had suitable cleaning routines. Staff had suitable infection control training, staffing levels were maintained, and inspectors were assured that the home's policies were being followed.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall rating or a rated result for the other four questions.
Safer visiting
Visitors could use a separate room with an external door, reducing the need to enter the rest of the building. Visitors also had to ring beforehand and wear masks and other protective equipment when needed.
“The room had an external door which meant that visitors did not need to enter the rest of the building, subsequently minimising the risk of cross infection.” from the report
Keeping families connected
Staff helped people stay in touch with family and friends by phone and online. The home also sent families a newsletter and bought extra IT equipment.
“Staff had helped people to stay in touch with family and friends through phone calls, and through the internet.” from the report
Infection control
The home had suitable cleaning, testing, admission and isolation arrangements. Staff had training and showed suitable knowledge of infection control.
“During the inspection we observed staff demonstrating suitable knowledge of good infection control practice.” from the report
Activities and contact
The home continued to provide individual and group activities, as well as some outings arranged under government guidance.
“The service was providing a range of social activities for people to help to keep them entertained and occupied.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are the infection prevention and control arrangements described in this report being maintained now?
- 02How can relatives visit, and what protective equipment or other requirements currently apply?
- 03How would you support my relative to stay in touch with family if visits were restricted?
- 04What activities are currently available, including individual activities and outings?
- 05What arrangements are in place if a resident needs to isolate after admission or because of an infection risk?
This was an announced, targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not assessed in detail. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 November 2020 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, December 2018
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care, but the home needed to improve care planning, activities and responses to people's feedback.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection. Inspectors observed care, looked around the home, spoke with people, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals, and checked care records, medicines records, staff files and training records.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe care, suitable food, kind and respectful staff, good support for people's health, and managers who were approachable and involved.
Responsive was rated Requires Improvement. Two people did not have care plans completed promptly, some requests and surveys had not been followed up, and activities and trips out were limited. Inspectors made recommendations about these areas and about checking non-prescription medicines.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw positive interactions and found that staff supported people in an unrushed and respectful way. People and relatives were positive about the care.
“People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect.” from the report
Enough staff
Staffing levels met the home's identified needs. Inspectors saw call bells answered effectively and people's needs met quickly.
“There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of people who used the service.” from the report
Good health and food support
People were supported to access healthcare and to eat a healthy, varied diet. Staff monitored food, drink and weight where needed.
“People were supported to eat a healthy and varied diet.” from the report
Approachable management
The managers and provider were available to people, relatives and staff. Staff felt supported and morale was good.
“There were clear lines of responsibility and accountability at the service. Staff morale was good and staff felt well supported.” from the report
Care plans were not always ready promptly
needs fixingTwo people had been living at the home without completed care plans. Staff knew their needs and daily notes were completed, but the written plans were created only during the inspection.
“However, not everyone had a care plan that was created in a timely manner.” from the report
Activities and trips out were limited
needs fixingThere was a programme of activities, but one activities worker was away and there was no vehicle for people using wheelchairs to go into the local area. It was also unclear whether people in their rooms received regular one-to-one activities.
“People were currently not able to go out with support in to the local area as there was no vehicle currently available for use by people who used wheelchairs.” from the report
Feedback was not always followed up
needs fixingSome requests from residents had not been acted on, and survey responses had not been collated or answered. Inspectors recommended a more effective process for seeking and responding to people's views.
“However, the process for doing this, and then responding to those views, was not entirely robust.” from the report
Medicine checking needed strengthening
seriousOne non-prescription medicine was past its expiry date despite three checks since the expiry date. It was removed immediately, but inspectors recommended stronger checking procedures.
“However, we found one preparation that was past it's expiry date.” from the report
Support for people with dementia
minorThere was no pictorial signage to help some people recognise rooms and find their bedrooms. Inspectors also found gaps in records about best-interest meetings and end-of-life care preferences.
“There was no pictorial signage which clearly identified specific rooms such as toilets and shower rooms.” from the report
- 01Have all residents now had a care plan completed promptly after moving in, and how is this checked?
- 02What activities are now available for people who stay in their rooms or are unable to join group activities?
- 03How can people using wheelchairs go out into the local area, and is suitable transport now available?
- 04How are residents' requests, surveys and complaints recorded, answered and followed up?
- 05How do you check non-prescription medicines for expiry dates, and are all staff's medicine competencies up to date?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and the premises, care and management of the home; it was the first inspection since the service re-registered as a limited company. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 December 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 Tremethick House
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- November 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2018GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- April 2018
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 April 2018.
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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10 live-in carers within about two hours of Cornwall
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 £1,200 a week. 8 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“He had been a little anxious before she arrived, but has since stated that he would be very happy for her to care for him again”
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