Stokeleigh Lodge

Updated 21 August 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Stokeleigh Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave 24 hours’ notice to ensure the registered manager was available.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we had received about the home since the last inspection. We reviewed CQC notifications. Notifications describe events that happen in the service that the provider is legally required to tell us about.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, area manager, two care staff and four people. We observed staff practices and how they interacted with people. We considered all this information to help us to make a judgement about the home. We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the home and medicines records.

After the inspection

We requested a range of records including risk assessments, maintenance records and quality monitoring and assurance documents.

Updated 21 August 2021

About the service

Stokeleigh Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 15 people. At the time of the inspection there were 15 people living at the home. The home is a converted and extended building with rooms over three floors. There were two communal lounge areas and a dining room in the conservatory. People also have access to a garden area.

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

There had been significant improvements following the inspection of February 2021. We saw positive changes had been made to the home’s infection control procedures. Staffing levels had been reviewed and increased. Quality assurance processes had improved.

People felt safe living in the home, they were protected from abuse and had their risks assessed, planned for and mitigated. There were enough safely recruited staff to meet people's needs. Lessons were learned when things had gone wrong. Medicines were safely managed and stored. Infection control measures were in place to keep people protected. The risks from cross contamination had been reduced due to the effective changes that had been put in place.

Effective quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of care. Audits had improved which helped to identify any shortfalls. There was an open and inclusive culture in the home. The registered manager worked closely with the deputy manager and area manager. The provider had oversight of the home by visiting the home and attending meetings with the area and registered manager.

People and staff felt positive about the registered manager and the management of the home. People and staff were asked for their feedback. The registered manager was aware of their duty of candour. Audits were in place to check people's care and an action plan was in place to continue to improve the home. The home worked in partnership with other organisations.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 20 March 2021). There were breaches of regulation. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an inspection of this service on 15 February 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.

We undertook this focused inspection to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has improved to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Stokeleigh Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the home until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.