The Dene Lodge - Minehead

Updated 22 May 2024

The Dene Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to up to 39 people. The home is arranged over 2 buildings. The main house and a smaller bungalow called Rachel’s House. The home specialises in the care of older people including people living with dementia. We visited the care home on 30 May 2024 and 4 June 2024. At the time of the site visits there were 26 people living at the home. At the last inspection in July 2022, we found 3 breaches of regulations. These related to good governance, person centred care and need for consent. At this assessment we found that improvements had been made and they were no longer in breach of regulations. A high number of people at the home were living with dementia and unable to fully share their views with us. During our site visits we saw everyone who lived at the home and spoke with 6 people. We also spoke with 7 visiting family members, 10 members of staff and 2 professionals. People and staff spoke highly of the improvements which had been made and all said they would recommend the home.

Updated 22 May 2024

People lived in a home where changes had been made to the management team. People now benefitted from a management team whose combined skills and experience meant they were able to lead by example, effectively monitor standards and drive improvement. People were supported by a staff team who were kind and caring. One person told us staff were, “Nice and helpful.” People had their needs assessed before they moved to the home to make sure The Dene Lodge was the right place for them. Relatives were complimentary about how smoothly their family member’s transition to the care home had been. People felt safe at the home and comfortable with the staff who supported them. People received personalised care and staff supported people to make choices about their day to day lives. Staff knew how to make decisions for people who lacked the capacity to make certain decisions for themselves. Each person had a care plan to ensure staff knew how to support them effectively and safely. The registered manager told us they were still developing care plans and looking at the best ways to fully involve people and their representatives. Staff worked with other professionals to make sure people had their health and social care needs assessed and addressed.