Archived: Heath Lodge

Updated 24 November 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 9 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 24 November 2020

About the service

Heath Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 28 older people some of whom were living with dementia. 26 people lived at the service when we inspected.

People lived in an adapted building with a purpose-built extension. There are two parts to the service. The main area where older people live and a small unit where people living with dementia are supported.

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

People and their relatives were positive about the care and support they received at Heath Lodge. People achieved good outcomes in both their health and wellbeing. One person was pleased they had been able to take part in gardening which was a new hobby for them. Another person had been supported to walk more independently. People felt safe and were reassured staff responded when they called for support.

People were supported in a caring and dignified way if they became distressed. Not all staff had training to support them to offer support in a consistent way. This is an area the registered manager agreed to focus on.

Systems around the management of health and safety had improved. A new medicines system was managed safely. More person-centred records around when to administer ‘as and when required’ medicines were required.

The positive relationship between the provider and registered manager was clear and they worked together to check the service was safe and of good quality. Records of the checks they performed had improved. More detail was still required so they can clearly evidence the progress they make and why they make decisions. This includes completing records following any accidents and incidents which were reviewed.

Work to implement changes during the COVID-19 pandemic was effective and we were overall assured infection prevention and control measures would reduce the likelihood of an outbreak. Staff, people and their relatives were pleased with the support received from the registered manager during the recent difficult times.

People and relatives were very complimentary about the staff team and the care they provided. A relative passed on their thanks and wrote, ‘We were touched by the affection our family member showed to you (staff) which was reciprocated in no small measure. During the past few months of lockdown when we were able to make contact only through the conservatory window, it was reassuring to know her emotional and physical wellbeing were in good hands. I'll always remember their smile to the member of staff who was on hand to take them back to the lounge after these visits; it came from the heart - their speech was severely impaired, but the smile spoke volumes about their appreciation.’

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 4 April 2019) and there was a breach 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 unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 12 February 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve governance of the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they 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.

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 the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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 changed from requires improvement 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 Heath Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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