A WEST Somerset care home has been found to have improved over the past two years to the point where the health and adult social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has now rated it as ‘good’.

The CQC had previously labelled Dene Lodge Residential Home, in Alcombe, Minehead, as ‘requires improvement’ in August, 2022, when it was found to be in breach of three regulations covering good governance, person centred care, and need for consent.

Inspectors returned in May of this year for an unannounced visit to the home, which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 39 people.

Care is delivered in two buildings, the main house and a smaller bungalow in the grounds called Rachel’s House, which reopened in May.

The home specialises in the care of older people, including those living with dementia.

A CQC spokesperson said: “We found that improvements had been made and they were no longer in breach of regulations.

“During our site visits we saw everybody who lived at the home and spoke with six people.

“We also spoke with visiting family members, staff, and professionals.

“People and staff spoke highly of the improvements which had been made and all said they would recommend the home.”

The spokesperson said Dene Lodge residents 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’.

They said: “People were supported by a staff team who were kind and caring.

“One person told us staff were ‘nice and helpful’.

“Relatives were complimentary about how smoothly their family members’ transition to the care home had been.

“One relative said ‘the staff are a delight. I have never witnessed anything bad’.”

Dene Lodge operations manager Lewis Don said: “A ‘good’ judgement is a fantastic achievement and testament to the high standards of care provided.

“We were especially pleased to read the comments in the report made by the people we support.

“Improvements followed changes to the management team and reflected the hard work and commitment from all the team at Dene Lodge.”