• Care Home
  • Care home

Dunster Lodge Residential Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Manor Road, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6EW (01643) 703007

Provided and run by:
Dunster Lodge Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

This assessment began on 14 October 2025 and was completed on 20 October 2025.

At the time of the inspection visit there were 13 people living at the home. The home specialised in the care of older people who required personal care.

There was a new management team at the care home. They were open and approachable and committed to making improvements to the care and support people received. Although the new manager had only been in post for a short while, they had already started to make changes and identify where improvements could be made.

Staff were happy with the changes. Some new senior posts had been created to make sure there was better oversight of care and support provided. Staff felt valued and respected.

The manager and provider were visible in the home which led to an open culture where people and staff felt able to raise concerns.

On the first inspection visit we identified some issues with the environment which needed to be addressed promptly to ensure people’s safety. Some action was taken immediately, and other issues had been addressed by the second visit. Additional regular checks were put in place to make sure that any further issues were identified and addressed in a timely manner.

There were regular safety checks and audits to monitor quality. These were being enhanced to ensure they were able to drive improvements at the home. New audits had not been fully embedded at the time of the inspection visits so the effectiveness of these could not yet be assessed.

Risks of abuse to people were minimised because staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns.

People’s medicines were safely managed.

Staff knew people well and each person had a care plan which gave clear details about their needs, likes and dislikes.

Staff worked in partnership with people, their representatives and other professionals to ensure needs were addressed in a way which did not discriminate and ensured people had access to appropriate services.

17 September 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Dunster Lodge Residential Home is a care home which is registered to provide care and accommodation to up to 19 people. The home specialises in the care of older people. At the time of the inspection there were 14 people living at the home.

The house is an older style building with accommodation arranged over three floors. There is a passenger lift and stair lifts to enable people to access all areas.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People lived in a home which was well led by an enthusiastic and experienced management team. There were systems in place to monitor standards and plan improvements. People’s and staff’s views were listened to and used to influence changes and improvements.

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. The staff worked in partnership with other agencies to minimise the risks of abuse to people. There were adequate numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff respected people’s choices and preferences.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and compassionate. Staff were happy in their jobs which helped to provide a warm and relaxed environment for people to live in. People had built good relationships with staff and during the inspection we heard laughter and good-humoured banter.

People received care and support in a way that met their personal needs and enabled them to follow their own routines, interests and beliefs. People who lived at the home were treated as individuals and chose how they spent their time.

There were activities, informal chatter and entertainment which provided people with social stimulation. People were supported to maintain contact with friends and family and staff supported them to access community facilities.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 30 March 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

16 February 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 16 February 2017 and 20 February 2016

This is the first inspection of this established service since its re-registration as a new legal entity on 15 December 2015 There is a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was supported on a continuous basis by the provider who made regular contributions to the running of the home.

The service provides care and support for people for up to 19 people in a traditional house in a rural setting at the edge of the village of Alcombe. In the past year the home environment had been improved by the addition of new windows and work on some of the bedrooms.

People told us they felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. They told us they could talk to any of the staff. People said they felt safe and were looked after “very well.” They said they liked the fact that there was always someone there who would do whatever they could to help.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs. They said staff usually came to help them quickly unless they were busy helping other people. One person said “I rarely need to use the bell at night but one night I did not feel good. They came straight away and helped me through the night.”

People said the food was good. They commented on the home cooked meals and the variety of vegetables. Most people chose to eat their meals in the dining room. Lunch time was a pleasant sociable occasion. People enjoyed the food and the conversation, and interaction with each other and the staff. Some people chose not to eat in the dining room and this was respected.

The manager and staff were very pro-active in arranging for people to see health care professionals according to their individual needs. Staff noted changes in people’s health and requested GP visits when required.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. Some people had lived in the home for several years. One person said “Staff are always kind and polite. There is no trouble there at all.” People received care that was responsive to their needs and personalised to their wishes and preferences. People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives.

There were formal and informal quality assurance systems in place to monitor care and plan on-going improvements. There were audits and checks in place to monitor safety and quality of care.