CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Upper Mead
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found risks were assessed and reviewed, medicines were stored and recorded safely, and staff understood safeguarding procedures. Staffing levels were assessed daily or when people's needs changed.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's care needs were met, staff worked with healthcare professionals and staff had relevant training and support. The home supported nutrition, mobility and people's rights to make decisions.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were offered choices and were treated with dignity and respect. Staff encouraged people to remain as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and personal histories. The home offered varied activities, supported visits and responded to complaints and end-of-life wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor quality and make changes. Staff described good teamwork and understood their roles and responsibilities.
What inspectors found, June 2023
Upper Mead was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and well-organised care across all five areas.
This was the home's first inspection since it registered. It was an unannounced, planned inspection on 16 May 2023. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional, observed care and reviewed records including four care plans.
Inspectors found people were treated kindly and felt safe. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, care plans were up to date and staff had suitable training. People enjoyed the food, activities and visits from relatives.
The home worked with healthcare professionals and responded to complaints. Managers used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor and improve the service. All five areas were rated Good, which means inspectors found consistently good care at this inspection. This was the first inspection, so there was no earlier rating to compare with.
Kind relationships
People said they were treated kindly and felt relaxed with staff. Inspectors also saw friendly relationships between people and staff.
“People were happy with the care they received, felt relaxed with staff and told us they were treated with kindness.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicine records were accurate, storage was secure and audits were carried out. People told inspectors they had no concerns about their medicines.
“People received medicines safely. People's care plans were up to date and accurately reflected their needs.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's preferences, interests, religious beliefs and personal information. Staff said they knew people well and used this knowledge to provide individual care.
“Individual person-centred care plans had been developed, enabling staff to support people in a personalised way that was specific to their needs and preferences” from the report
Activities and relationships
The home offered activities including music, arts and crafts, quizzes, exercise and trips out. Staff also arranged one-to-one activities for people who preferred to stay in their rooms.
“There was a range of activities on offer which included, bingo, music, arts and crafts, quizzes, exercise, regular trips out in the local area and visits from external entertainers.” from the report
Listening to feedback
People, relatives and staff were involved in developing the service. Their feedback led to changes including garden improvements, flower arranging and more fresh fruit and vegetables.
“Feedback from people, relatives and staff had resulted in relatives being involved in developing the gardens at the service, flower arranging being included as an activity and more fresh fruit and vegetables being available.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you check that staffing levels remain enough at weekends and when people's needs change?
- 02How often are medicines audits completed, and what happens if an audit finds a problem?
- 03How quickly are care plans reviewed when a person's needs or preferences change?
- 04How do you make sure people who prefer to stay in their rooms receive regular activities and social contact?
- 05How is feedback from people and relatives collected and used to make further changes?
This was an unannounced, planned first inspection that covered all five key questions and included infection prevention and control checks. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 June 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.
Every inspection of Upper Mead
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 December 2021.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
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 £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.