Archived: Bessingby Lodge

Bessingby Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to 21 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 28 people and specialised in dementia care.

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

People did not always receive safe, effective and responsive care. Systems in place to reduce risks to people was not always followed and medicines were not always managed well. People did not receive their medicines as prescribed.

Interactions between staff and the people were not always positive and respectful. People were not always supported to make choices in line with their preferences. Care plans and risk assessments did not always contain information/guidance for staff to follow and provide responsive care to .

Governance systems were not always effective in ensuring high quality care across the service. However, the management team were responsive to feedback and had begun to make changes while we were inspecting. We will assess the impact of this at our next inspection.

Recruitment checks helped ensure new staff were of good character. The premises were kept clean. The provider knew some areas of the service required redecoration. Staff felt supported by the new management team supporting the service.

The service's infection prevention and control policy and procedures, including visiting arrangements, reflected current national guidance. There were ample supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which staff used safely.

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 did not support this practice.

Relatives told us their loved one felt at ease with the kind, caring staff and had confidence in their abilities. Staff were confident that new management team would support the service to improve.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 23 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This 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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and the management oversight at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.