Lake View

Updated 12 August 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

1 inspector completed the inspection and 2 Experts by Experience who spoke with people living at the home and their families. 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

Lake View 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 unannounced on the first day. The second day was announced.

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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the home had been registered. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people living at the home and 7 relatives on the phone to gain their feedback on the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who may not be able comment directly on their care.

During the inspection, we also spoke with 2 staff. We gave staff an opportunity to respond to us by e-mail, and we received 10 responses. We also spoke with the new manager and the director.

We reviewed a range of records. This included care records and people’s medication records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including audits and safety checks.

The inspection concluded on 19 July 2023 when verbal feedback was provided to the new registered manager and the director.

Updated 12 August 2023

About the service

Lake View is a residential care home that provides personal care for people aged 65 and over. There were 15 people living at the home at the time of the inspection; some people were living with dementia. The building has been adapted to accommodate 29 people but only 20 bedrooms are actively used. There are 4 communal spaces offering people a range of places to spend time, plus a garden.

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

People looked relaxed and at ease with staff and each other. People said, “The people are all genuine. The food and cleanliness are good”, “The staff are pleasant, I’m happy here” and “Everything is good, the food is very good, the staff are good too.”

Relatives said they would recommend the service to other families and said the staff had the skills to keep people safe. For example, “The staff are lovely, they are friendly, caring and respectful. We are all very happy with the care (relative) is getting. The staff know her well, even the new staff.” Visitors said they were welcomed by staff and could visit at any time.

Staff had received training on how to safeguard people and were able to identify different types of abuse and explain both internal and external reporting processes.

People’s care needs were assessed and their health risks well managed. People’s care needs were reviewed to ensure they reflected the person’s current needs. Where appropriate, care records identified risks in relation to falls, nutrition or pressure care.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Medicines were administered and managed safely.

Relevant checks were completed as part of the recruitment process to ensure staff were suitable to work in a care setting. The new manager had recruited new staff and made changes to roles. For example, removing the role of deputy manager to recruit more staff to work directly with people. People were positive about the impact of the new activities person who worked four days a week as some people said they would like more to do.

Audits were completed to keep people and staff safe. Checks included fire equipment, hot water temperature checks and equipment were routinely serviced. Visitors and people living at the home commented positively on improvements to the cleanliness of the home. They said,” The place as a whole is cleaner and brighter. The place has been decorated and it has really lifted it.”

The home was well run. People living at the care home and their relatives spoke positively about the standard of care and the improvements being made by the new registered manager. The director updated us on the changes being made at Lake View through regular audits, support for the new registered manager and the action to update the environment.

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 good. (Published 15 July 2022)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We received concerns in relation to staffing and the environment. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

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.

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

Follow up

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