Ladymead Care Home

Updated 3 February 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 Care Act 2014.

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 team consisted of two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. 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

Ladymead 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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We looked at notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. This ensured we were addressing any areas of concern. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service. We looked around the home and observed the way staff interacted with people. We looked at six people’s care records and five medicine administration records (MAR). We received feedback from two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, nurses, care staff, the chef and administration staff. We looked at five recruitment and training records and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested and received feedback from three healthcare professionals.

Updated 3 February 2022

About the service

Ladymead is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care in an adapted building. At the time of the inspection 31 people aged 65 and over were living at the service. The service can support up to 40 people.

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

People living at Ladymead received safe care from skilled and knowledgeable staff. Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place which incorporated their values of ‘Together we respect, with compassion we care, through commitment we achieve’.

Risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. Peoples care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage the identified risks.

Recruitment checks were robust to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults and staffing arrangements met people's needs. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs.

Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff had the necessary skills to carry out their roles. Staff had regular training and opportunities for regular supervision and observations of their work performance.

People and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff did all they could to promote people’s independence and we saw examples of this. People had access to other healthcare services, ensuring a holistic level of support was provided.

The registered manager and staff demonstrated a commitment to people and displayed strong person-centred values. 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. Staff had a particularly good understanding of when the principles of the Mental Capacity Act should be applied. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and complimented the food at the home.

The home was well-led by a long-standing registered manager who was committed to improving people’s quality of life. They and the new provider had plans to continuously improve people's care. The service had a clear and stable management and staffing structure in place and staff worked well as a team. The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place that they used to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff worked well with external social and health care professionals.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 14 February 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned 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.

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.

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