The Lawns

Updated 22 September 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.

This was a targeted inspection to check on a concern we had about the safe management of medicines.

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 two inspectors including a member of the CQC medicines team.

Service and service type

The Lawns 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. The Lawns 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 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 since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and health professionals who work with the service. 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 visited the service on 24 August and 31 August 2022.

We checked 10 people’s medicines records and looked at arrangements for administering, storing and managing medicines. We reviewed the IPC policy and procedures in place at the service and the cleanliness of the home.

Updated 22 September 2022

About the service

The Lawns is a residential care home registered to provide personal care to up to 41 people. The home specialises in the care of older people including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 30 people living at the home.

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

People were safe at the home and looked comfortable and relaxed with the staff who supported them. Improvements had been made to how risks were identified and managed which helped to minimise risks to people.

People received their medicines safely from senior staff who had received specific training to carry out the task.

Staff had received training and were following good practice guidelines in infection prevention and control, to minimise risks to people. The home was keeping up to date with government guidance to make sure people were able to keep in touch with friends and family.

There was a stable staff team who knew people well and how they liked to be supported. Staff were happy in their roles which helped to create a warm and relaxed atmosphere for people to live in.

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 were able to make choices in their day to day lives. We raised some issues with how people chose meals.

People lived in a home where the registered manager was open and approachable. People and staff said they would feel comfortable to raise any issues or concerns with them.

People could be confident that the home was being managed in a way that was committed to making on-going improvements. Improvements had been made in how quality was monitored and areas for improvement were identified and actioned.

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 requires improvement. (Report published 29 October 2019)

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 10 September 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.

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, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements and recommendations.

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 The Lawns 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.