Working at Creative Support - Dove Lane
7 Dove Lane, Bedford, MK43 7DF
Operated by Creative Support Limited
6 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
4.0/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 4.0/10
Key Finding
"Staff get good training for their roles and share concerns openly, but unsafe staffing levels limit activities and put people at risk."
Safety & Risk
4/10
!
Low staffing levels meant risk assessments for people in areas such as epilepsy or helping to prevent social isolation could not be followed.
Staff Culture
5/10
!
Staff shared their concerns about staffing levels with us. Their comments included, 'It's very tough now. We need more staff.' and 'Staffing levels are a real challenge now. We have lost good staff and they are not being replaced.'
Staffing Levels
2/10
✕
Staffing levels were not safe at certain times of the day... This put people at risk of harm. This was a breach of regulation 18 (Staffing).
Training & Dev
6/10
✓
Staff received training in areas relevant to their job roles. This included supporting autistic people or people living with a learning disability, medicine administration and safeguarding.
Management
4/10
!
Audits had failed to pick up on people's experiences of care regarding following interests and past times. We were not assured that best practice guidance was being followed at the service in relation to Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture.
Programmes
3/10
✕
People were at risk of not having their personal preferences met due to poor staffing levels. They were unable to leave their home to explore social interests and there were not enough staff to support people with their interests in their home at all times.
Points to consider
Not enough staff on some shifts, leaving people with epilepsy alone and staff too busy for anything beyond basics.
Staffing levels were not safe at certain times of the day. Between the hours of 7:30 and 9:00, and 16:00 to 19:30, two staff were working on shift... Two people were living with epilepsy and staff were not able to be in the same room with them at all times in case they had a seizure.
No real activities or outings happening now due to low staff numbers, so the job is mostly personal care, cooking and cleaning.
Staff spent their time supporting people with personal care, cooking meals or cleaning the service. There was not enough time to spend with people to help reduce boredom or isolation.
Manager and leaders know about staffing problems but have not fixed them despite talking to the local authority for a long time.
The registered manager and service director showed us evidence that they had been discussing staffing levels with the local authority. However, the issue of low staffing had not been resolved.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: January 2022
Requires improvement
Safe
!
Requires improvement
Effective
!
Requires improvement
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
!
Requires improvement
Management Quality
Well-led: Requires improvement
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- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews