St Lawrences Lodge

Updated 10 February 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 undertaken by 1 inspector on the first day and 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience on day 2. 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

St Lawrences Lodge 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. St Lawrences Lodge 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

This inspection was unannounced on the first day.

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 and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 8 people who used the service and 4 people’s visitors about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 staff including; the registered manager, a cook and care workers. We also spent time in communal areas observing how staff supported people.

We reviewed a range of records. These included care records, records relating to medicines, staff recruitment, staffing, building maintenance, cleaning and equipment checks, accident and incidents and safeguarding logs and policies and procedures for infection control. As well as a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 10 February 2023

About the service

St Lawrences Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to 14 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service is registered to support up to 20 people in one adapted building.

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

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.

There were safe systems of staff recruitment in place and there were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Risks to individuals and staff were identified and well managed. Premises and equipment were well maintained and the home had undergone a refurbishment. This included redecoration and furnishings. Medicines were managed and administered safely. People told us they felt safe living at the home. One person said, “I feel safe here because they really look after everybody. They treat me well and are very helpful.” Throughout our inspection we saw lots of people visiting and visitors were warmly welcomed by staff.

People were shown respect and were very well treated. They were supported by staff who knew them well. We observed, warm, friendly, kind, caring and attentive interactions. There was a happy atmosphere, with lots of chatting and banter. Throughout the inspection we saw people engaged in activities that were important to them. People’s cultural and religious beliefs were respected.

The registered manager and provider had good oversight of the service. A range of audits, monitoring and oversight had been put in place. Everyone was positive about the registered manager and the way the home was run. We found the registered manager to be committed to providing responsive person-centred care, staff shared that commitment. The home had a positive person-centred culture. Staff placed great importance on ensuring people were happy and well cared for.

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 8 April 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. 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

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, Caring and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this 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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for St Lawrences Lodge 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.