We carried out a review of the data available to us about Chestnut Lodge on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Chestnut Lodge, you can give feedback on this service.
Chestnut Lodge is a care home with nursing for up to 64 older people. The home is divided into four units. At the time of our inspection 61 people were living at the home. Some people were being cared for at the end of their lives and some people were living with the experience of dementia. The home is operated by Minster Care Group who provide care and support in care homes throughout the United Kingdom.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and relatives spoke positively of the service, staff and managers. They felt safe and their needs were well met. One person told us, “I would recommend it to anyone.”
People’s care and risk management plans were personalised and reflected their individual needs and
preferences. Staff reviewed and updated these regularly. People and their relatives were involved in the service and reviewing people’s care. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely.
The provider recruited staff safely and staff completed a range of training to be competent to support people. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. They were supervised by managers who they said were supportive and approachable.
Staff had training on how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns and they knew how to do so. The registered manager worked with other agencies to investigate concerns. The home was clean and there were procedures in place for preventing and controlling the spread of infection.
The service worked in partnership with a variety of professionals to provide people with timely, joined up care. There were appropriate procedures in place for responding to and learning from complaints and incidents.
The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager took action to maintain and develop the service.
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.
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 7 February 2022). 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 carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 29 November 2021. 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, Effective 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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Chestnut Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Chestnut Lodge is a care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 64 people. The home has four units and at the time of the inspection was at capacity. The home cared for people who were living with the experience of dementia and for people being cared for at the end of their lives. Minster Care Group has a number of care homes throughout the UK.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
During the inspection we identified a number of environmental concerns such as people being able to access cleaning products that meant risks were not always managed safely. We also found COVID-19 risk assessments and risk management plans were not always in place. Medicines were generally managed safely, however we found out of date creams and creams were not always stored securely.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor and manage the quality of service delivery. However, these were not always effective as they had not identified the various areas we identified during our inspection as needing to improve.
The provider had systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to respond to possible safeguarding concerns. Safe recruitment procedures were followed and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs.
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 supported to maintain healthy lives and access healthcare services appropriately.
Staff were supported to develop their skills and provide appropriate care through inductions, supervisions, appraisals, training and team meetings.
People and their relatives told us people were cared for by kind and supportive staff who knew the needs of the people they cared for.
Care plans were personalised and recorded people’s preferences, so staff knew how to respond to people’s needs appropriately.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 10 March 2020 under a new provider and this is their first inspection.
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good published in October 2018.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
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.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and good governance at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.