Background to this inspection
Updated
23 August 2022
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
This inspection was completed by one inspector.
Service and service type
Lavender Lodge Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Lavender Lodge Nursing Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from partner agencies and professionals, including the local safeguarding team, local authority and health commissioners and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used on-going monitoring such as information received. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people and four people’s relatives. We spoke with seven staff, including the registered manager, operations manager, a nurse, three care staff, and one member of the housekeeping team. We used the Short Observational Framework (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
Updated
23 August 2022
About the service
Lavender Lodge Nursing Home is residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for to up to 44 people. The service provides support to older people, some who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people using the service. People had their own bedrooms within two inter-connected buildings, with communal lounges and dining areas. A small number of bedrooms were shared bedrooms. The care home is over two floors, with lifts between floors.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Storage arrangements and records for when staff administered people’s skin creams required improvement. Not all pre-employment checks had been completed when care staff started work. Not all staff consistently wore face masks in line with government guidance.
There were enough staff available to help promote people’s safety. The home environment was clean. Risks were identified, assessed and measures put in place to reduce risks where this was possible. Friends and relatives were able to visit their family members living at Lavender Lodge. Systems were in place so that local safeguarding procedures were followed when needed.
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 promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence. People had positive relationships with staff and were treated well. People had their equality and diversity needs respected. People and their relatives when appropriate were involved in their care decisions.
Management and governance systems were in place to help check people received quality care. Plans were in place to continue to improve and refurbish Lavender Lodge. These plans included refurbishment and redecoration of people’s bedrooms and replacing the few remaining shared bedrooms with single occupancy rooms. The registered manager led with an open and approachable management style that created a positive and inclusive home environment for people, their relatives and staff.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 1 June 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of this full report. The provider told us what action they had taken to the concerns we raised with them as part of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Lavender Lodge Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.