Lime Tree House

Updated 29 December 2023

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 was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Lime Tree House 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. Lime Tree House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service a short notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 3 relatives (by telephone) about their experience of the care provided. We also telephoned 2 people who had recently had a respite stay at Lime Tree House. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy CSN manager, nominated individual and CSNs. We made observations of people’s support throughout the inspection.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records, and 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

Updated 29 December 2023

About the service

Lime Tree House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 6 people. Lime Tree House provides both short and long-term residential accommodation for people (who prefer to be referred to as patients) who follow the Christian Science faith. People are supported by Christian Science Nurses (CSNs), who are non-medical nurses trained in spiritual healing through Christian Science practices. At the time of the inspection the service supported 4 people.

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

People’s faith and individual wishes were at the heart of the service. The ethos of the home was founded on the values of Christian Science, and this was evident throughout the inspection. One patient said, “The staff live their Christian Science values, and these align with my own beliefs.” Without exception, people and relatives were full of praise about Lime Tree House; the staff team, registered manager, and atmosphere at the home.

The home was exceptionally well led by a registered manager who was valued and respected by all the staff, people living at the home, relatives, and the wider Christian Science community. The home had become the only training provider for CSNs in the UK and had regular links with other Christian Science homes throughout the world.

There was an open and transparent culture at the home, with the involvement of people and staff in agreeing the care and support people wanted. A robust quality assurance system was in place to drive standards. People were supported to ensure their care and faith needs were met when they moved on from the home, either returning to their own home or to another care home.

Morale at the home was extremely high, with staff being proud and motivated to work at Lime Tree House. Staff demonstrated extremely compassionate, kind, and caring approaches, consistently encouraging people’s independence. People were treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

Lime Tree House provided a safe service for the people. Effective systems were in place to minimise risks, with the home being fully adapted to meet people’s needs. There was a high number of staff on duty. Staff were safely recruited and received the training for their roles. All CSNs had completed additional training to become mentors for trainee CSNs being trained at Lime Tree House.

People’s nutritional needs were met, with any dietary requirements being catered for on an individual basis. People’s health needs were met within the ethos of the Christian Science faith.

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. People’s wishes to be supported in line with their faith were fully discussed and recorded.

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 7 October 2017).

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.

Follow up

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