Lashbrook House Care Home

Updated 11 November 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

The inspection team consisted of three inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Lashbrook House is a ‘care home’ with nursing. 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. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We looked at notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. This ensured we were addressing any areas of concern. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service. Some people living in the home could not verbally give us feedback. As such we looked around the home and observed the way staff interacted with people. We further received feedback from 10 relatives. We also received feedback from four healthcare professionals. We looked at five people's care records and four medicine administration records (MAR). We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager, the operations manager, clinical lead, nurses, carers, the chef, domestic staff, maintenance person and activities coordinator. We reviewed a range of records relating to people's care and the way the service was managed. These included staff training records, five staff recruitment files, quality assurance audits, incidents and accidents reports, complaints records, and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 11 November 2022

About the service

Lashbrook House is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 46 people across two separate floors. At the time of our inspection there were 31 people living at the service and only on the ground floor.

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

People living at Lashbrook House had excellent opportunities and access to a variety of activities to prevent social isolation. Social activities met people's individual needs and followed best practice guidance so people could live as full a life as possible. Activities were overseen by a committed, passionate and experienced staff team.

The service had gone the extra mile to find out what people had done in the past, evaluated whether it could accommodate activities to reflect these, and made them happen. The service had recognised and made every effort to encourage and support people to develop and maintain relationships with people that matter to them. The service took a key role in the local community and was actively involved in building further links within community. People told us they enjoyed and benefitted from these links.

Staff at Lashbrook House focused on providing person-centred care and support and achieved exceptional results. Staff took time to understand people’s individual needs and used that to improve their care and outcomes. We saw many examples of how people’s quality of life and wellbeing had significantly improved.

People told us they felt safe living at Lashbrook House. Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. The provider continued to recruit staff using initiatives such as overseas recruitment. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place.

Risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff did all they could to promote people’s independence and we saw examples of this. People received personalised care, tailored to their individual needs and preferences, and staff supported people and their relatives to be involved with decisions relating to their care. People's privacy and dignity was upheld through the approaches taken by staff as well as in relation to the care environment, as people each had access to their own bedrooms with ensuite bathroom facilities.

People had a pleasant well-presented dining experience which offered a variety of appetising food choices available at times that suited people’s preferences. The menu was overseen, and food prepared by an enthusiastic catering team who always looked at creative ways of continuously improving people’s dining experience. Staff supported people to maintain food and fluid intakes, including, providing snacks, and making people hot drinks during the night to help them relax and maintain their comfort. People’s feedback on food had been used to improve the dining experience.

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 had a particularly good understanding of when the principles of the Mental Capacity Act should be applied. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and complimented the food at the home.

The home was well-led by a registered manager who was committed to improving people’s quality of life. They and the new provider put people at the centre of all they did and had plans to continuously improve people's care. There was a clear management structure in place and a long-standing team of staff who worked well as a team. The provider had clear oversight of the service and effective quality assurance systems in place that they used to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff worked well with external social and health care professionals.

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 10 March 2021.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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