A MINEHEAD specialist dementia care home has seen "improvements" that mean it is "no longer in breach of regulations", the Care Quality Commission's latest inspection found.

The Dene Lodge, on Bircham Road, Alcombe, has been rated good in all categories following a CQC inspection of the home, published on August 27.

It received a "good" rating overall, and "good" ratings for being safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. 

The home can care for up to 39 people and had 26 people living there at the time of the most recent inspections, on May 30 and June 4.

During the CQC's previous inspection, in July 2022, three breaches of regulations were found in "good governance, person-centred care, and need for consent".

Those issues had been fixed when CQC returned for inspections this year, the health regulator reported.

The latest report reads: "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."

The home is arranged over 2 buildings; the main house and a smaller bungalow called Rachel’s House.

The report found that the home had benefitted from "changes made to the management team", with a team now able to "lead by example, effectively monitor standards and drive improvement".

They found that people living in the home were "supported by a staff team who were kind and caring".

One person told the CQC that staff were, “Nice and helpful.”

The report continued: "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."